Which concept is highlighted by the Declaration of Independence along with limiting government?

Which concept is highlighted by the Declaration of Independence along with limiting government?

• A. Divine right.
• B. Martial law.
• C. Popular sovereignty.
• D. Absolute monarchy.

Answer: (C)

Popular sovereignty is the idea that government gets its authority from the people and must operate with their consent. The Declaration of Independence underscores this by saying governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed” and that when a government becomes destructive of people’s rights, it is the people’s right to alter or abolish it. That emphasis on derive-from-the-people authority is exactly how the document links the legitimacy of government to the people’s will and the ability to constrain or replace rulers when necessary. Divine right places authority in God and the monarchy, not in the consent of the governed. Martial law refers to rule by the military in emergencies, not a foundational political principle. Absolute monarchy describes unlimited power in a single ruler, which contradicts limiting government and the idea that power rests with the people.

Popular sovereignty is the idea that government gets its authority from the people and must operate with their consent. The Declaration of Independence underscores this by saying governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed” and that when a government becomes destructive of people’s rights, it is the people’s right to alter or abolish it. That emphasis on derive-from-the-people authority is exactly how the document links the legitimacy of government to the people’s will and the ability to constrain or replace rulers when necessary.

Divine right places authority in God and the monarchy, not in the consent of the governed. Martial law refers to rule by the military in emergencies, not a foundational political principle. Absolute monarchy describes unlimited power in a single ruler, which contradicts limiting government and the idea that power rests with the people.