Read the excerpt from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.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.
“Consent of the governed” means that a government gets its authority from the people it governs. The excerpt says governments derive their just powers from that consent, so “the people” is the correct choice.
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