Florida Civic Literacy Practice Exam 2025 – The Complete All-in-One Guide to Mastering Civic Literacy

The principle of 'consent of the governed' is best expressed in the Declaration of Independence. This foundational document articulates the idea that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the people whom they govern. It emphasizes that a government's legitimacy is dependent on the will of the people, and if a government fails to protect the rights of its citizens, those citizens have the right to alter or abolish it.

The Declaration of Independence asserts that people have the right to determine their governance, a revolutionary concept at the time. This notion of self-governance and the accountability of leaders to the populace directly aligns with the core principle of consent of the governed, making it a pivotal statement in the context of American democracy.

In contrast, the Magna Carta primarily focused on limiting the powers of the king and establishing certain legal rights but does not explicitly address the broader concept of governmental consent. The U.S. Constitution does outline systems of governance and the roles of different branches but is more a framework for government than a declaration of foundational principles. The Federalist Papers, while discussing the importance of a strong federal government and the need for consent in framing the Constitution, do not encapsulate the principle in the same foundational way as the Declaration of Independence.