"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 to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." the declaration of independence this quote from the declaration of independence is referring to the principle of a) federalism. b) limited government. c) checks and balances. d) one person, one vote.

I guess the best answer from those listed would be:

B) limited government

Perhaps better stated would be that this quote sets forth the ideas of natural rights and the social contract.

Thomas Jefferson (writer of the Declaration of Independence) and other American founding fathers got their ideas about natural rights and the social contract from philosophers of the Enlightenment, such as John Locke (1632-1704).  Locke strongly argued that all human beings have certain natural rights which are to be protected and preserved.    Locke's ideal was one that promoted individual freedom and equal rights and opportunity for all.  Each individual's well-being (life, health, liberty, possessions) should be served by the way government and society are arranged.  This meant that the arrangement between citizens and a government was a "social contract" - that the citizens created the government for the protection of their own rights, and if a government did not protect those rights it could be replaced.

The American founding fathers accepted the views of Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers and acted on them.

a. always outside of government control.