Which of the following phrases does NOT appear in the Declaration of Independence?

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
all men are created equal
these Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states
we the people of the United States

I'll be glad to check your answer.

To determine which of the phrases does NOT appear in the Declaration of Independence, we can break down the question into smaller elements and analyze them one by one.

1. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - This phrase does appear in the Declaration of Independence. It is found in the second paragraph, where it states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

2. "All men are created equal" - This phrase also appears in the Declaration of Independence. It is part of the same sentence as the previous phrase mentioned. As mentioned before, the sentence goes, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

3. "These Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states" - This phrase is indeed in the Declaration of Independence. It is found in the final paragraph, where it declares, "That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States."

4. "We the people of the United States" - This phrase, however, does NOT appear in the Declaration of Independence. Instead, it is the opening phrase of the United States Constitution.

Therefore, the phrase that does NOT appear in the Declaration of Independence is "We the people of the United States."