inherent rights
Born with them
Inherent rights are rights that belong to people simply because they exist as human beings, not because any government or document grants them.
The concept underlies natural law philosophy and documents like the Declaration of Independence, which speaks of rights people are "endowed" with.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are inherent rights.
The adjective inherent emphasizes these rights cannot be legitimately taken away—they inhere in personhood itself.
- constitutional lawLegal principles from founding documents
- natural lawInherent moral principles
- moral principlesStandards distinguishing right wrong
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- equal protectionUniform legal treatment
justice · dignity · universalism · intrinsic value · founding fathers · fairness · moral obligations · inalienable · autonomy · self-determination · international treaties · birthright · ethical reasoning · legal protections · equity · jurisprudence · Jefferson · deontology
- Indigenous Lawindigenous law, indigenous sovereignty, ceremonial law, traditional law, Indian Act
- Indigenous PolicyIndian Act, treaty negotiations, land claims, consultation, self-governance
- indigenous rightsnative sovereignty, indigenous sovereignty, traditional territories, land title, native lands
- natural lawnatural law, natural justice, natural order, universal law, moral law
- tribal lawtribal courts, tribal law, tribal court, tribal sovereignty, tribal governance
- Indigenous Governanceself-rule, self-government, community councils, tribal councils, elder council
inherent rightsstatutory rights
Protections codified in legislation
legal rights · privileges · licenses · civil rights · constitutional rights
inherent, inherently, inhere, right, rights, rightly, rightful, rightfully, rightness