The document is based on the natural-rights theory of government, derived from Locke and 18th-century French philosophers, and proclaims that the function of government is to guarantee the inalienable rights with which men are endowed These include "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness . The declaration contended that, since George Ill had wilfully violated these rights, revolution was justifiable and necessary 2021221 102021/2/21 10 ❖ The document is based on the natural-rights theory of government, derived from Locke and 18th-century French philosophers, and proclaims that the function of government is to guarantee the inalienable rights with which men are endowed. These include “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” ❖ The declaration contended that, since George III had willfully violated these rights, revolution was justifiable and necessary