Refer to the excerpt below. "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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
-Declaration of Independence

According to this excerpt, what is the principal role of government?

A. To promote greater social equality
B. to glorify the ruler in the eyes of the creator
C. to help people cooperate against the forces of nature
D. to protect citizens from having freedoms taken away