Both the U. S. Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man drew on the Enlightenment idea of natural rights. This concept, championed by philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, posits that individuals have certain inherent rights that are not granted by governments, but rather exist as part of their natural state of being. These rights include freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, as well as the right to life, liberty, and property. Both declarations emphasized the importance of protecting these natural rights and limiting the power of governments to infringe upon them.
