The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence establishes
general principles about the rights of man and the role of government. What
is the most likely reason that Jefferson included this section?
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. That to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed.