Second, all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. These rights do not come from the government. Rather, they already exist within us. These rights and powers are an inherent grant that proceeds, not from the state or any of its subordinates, but from the very Throne of Heaven. Third, among these unalienable rights are the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Life is properly listed first, for the right to life is the ultimate unalienable right.
The list of unalienable rights is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is intended to exemplify those rights that are of most consequence to the moral foundation of our newly declared independence. The concept of due process contained within the Bill of Rights safeguards the unalienable rights of life, liberty and property. Fourth is the proposition that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men and derive their just power from the consent of the governed. Power is, therefore, not determined by might or by majority. It is determined by a consent that is benevolently given to the government by the people.