What are these “Unalienable Rights”?

“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,”

The Unalienable Right to Life. To whom does this apply? As stated in the Preamble to the Constitution, our Government was established to secure the rights of “ourselves and our Posterity”. Who are our posterity? Our children, both those who are born, and those yet unborn. This is the foundation of the “Pro-Life” organizations that exist today.

The Right to Liberty. Defined by Wikipedia as "the condition in which an individual has the ability to act according to his or her own will". This obviously encompasses many things, the root of which is the Right to choose for ourselves, whether we are right or wrong, and not be forced to do what Government thinks is best.

The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness. Some scholars have wondered just what Jefferson meant by “the pursuit of happiness,” but the meaning of this phrase was well understood when it was written. Perhaps John Adams said it even more clearly:

“All men are born free and independent, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights, among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.” (Skousen, The 5,000-Year Leap, p. 127.)

The Declaration of Independence (as quoted at top of article) stated “that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. The phrase “among these” indicates that the list of Rights that follows is just a sampling, and other “unalienable rights” also exist.

More of these “unalienable rights” are listed in the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, known as The Bill of Rights.

These include the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press, the Right to peaceably assemble, and to petition Government for a redress of grievances. (1st Amendment)

We have “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”. (2nd Amendment)

We have the Freedom from being compelled to house Soldiers in time of peace. (3rd Amendment)

We have the Right to Privacy. (4th Amendment)

We have the Right not to be compelled to witness against ourselves, and not to be tried twice for the same offence. We have the Right to Property. (5th Amendment)

We have the Right to a Speedy Trial by an impartial Jury. (6th & 7th Amendments)

We have the Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and excessive bail or fines. (8th Amendment)

However, the list is still not complete. The 9th Amendment states “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

This indicates there are still other God-given Unalienable rights that have not been listed.

Perusing the Writings of our Founding Fathers has produced the following, still incomplete list of Unalienable Rights:

The right of self-government.

The right to bear arms for self-defense.

The right to own, develop, and dispose of property.

The right to make personal choices.

The right of free conscience.

The right to choose a profession.

The right to choose a mate.

The right to beget one’s kind.

The right to assemble.

The right to petition.

The right to free speech.

The right to free press.

The right to enjoy the fruits of one’s labors.

The right to improve one’s position through barter and sale.

The right to contrive and invent.

The right to explore the natural resources of the earth.

The right to privacy.

The right to provide nature’s necessities – air, food, water, clothing, and shelter.

The right to a fair trial.

The right of free association.

The right to contract.