Government is established to guarantee to man the enjoyment of his natural and inalienable rights. These rights are equality, liberty, security, and property. All men are equal by nature and before law. Law is the free and solemn expression of the general will. All citizens are equally eligible for public office.
Free people recognize no other basis of preference in their elections than virtue and talent.
Liberty is the power belonging to man to do anything which does not infringe upon the rights of others. The right of manifesting one's thoughts and opinions, either by the voice of the press or by any other means, the right of peaceable assembly, the right of free worship, may not be forbidden. Security consists in the protection that society accords each one of its members for the protection of his person, his rights, and his property. The law must protect both public and individual liberty against the oppression of those who govern. No one must be accused, arrested, or detained except in cases determined by law and in accordance with the forms which it prescribes.