I
..."all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights ...that to secure these
rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed"
In this passage from the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was stating the
principle that

A. The power of the government is in the hands of the king and queen
B. The government gains its power from the dictator in charge
C. The government derives its power from the people
D. It is the right of the people to overthrow their government for trivial reasons,