Natural rights are life, liberty, and property; central to John Locke; a major influence on America's founding fathers. Which term describes this concept?

• A. Social contract
• B. Natural rights
• C. Limited government
• D. Consent of the governed

Answer: (B)

Natural rights refer to rights that people inherently possess—life, liberty, and property are classic examples. John Locke argued these rights exist independently of government, and that the primary purpose of government is to protect them. This idea strongly influenced the American founders, who framed government legitimacy as resting on safeguarding natural rights and deriving authority from the consent of the governed. The other concepts describe how government is formed or limited, or where authority comes from, but they don’t name the rights themselves in the way this term does.