In the Declaration of Independence, what justification did Thomas Jefferson provide as the basis for breaking with Britain?

A) "There is something absurd in supposing a Continent to be perpetually governed by an island."
B) Great Britain had never actually played a role in the economy of the colonies, and their trade remained "completely separate."
C) Since new British rules had forbidden the colonies from continuing the slave trade and slavery was "so central to colonial agriculture," the colonists had no choice.
D) The "heritage of a freeborn Englishman" provided each colonist with the political right to seek democratic representation so long as they were British themselves.
E) Because government derived from the "consent of the governed," the governed had the right to remove that consent.

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Kayla Campbell STUDENT · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : E, Explanation :  Thomas Jefferson argued that government legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed, and when that consent is withdrawn, the people have the right to establish a new government. This principle is a cornerstone of the Declaration of Independence.

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