rights that all people are entitled to
John Locke first wrote about natural rights in the modern era referring to rights all people are entitled to.
Natural rights are those that are given to people by just being people. According to John Locke, Thomas Jefferson and other Enlightenment thinkers the government was responsible for protecting the natural rights of citizens. In the Declaration of Independence natural rights were defined as life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Jefferson argued the rights of people must be protected by their government or the people have the right to overthrow the government.
