The United States of America is the first nation in world history to be founded on the principle of individual or natural rights. The nation was built on the idea that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and that the sole purpose of government is to “secure these rights.” The Constitution of the United States (via the Bill of Rights) places certain fundamental rights of American citizens beyond the reach of government officials.
It is not much of an exaggeration to suggest that Americans are obsessed with their “rights.” We use or claim them on almost a daily basis. They are a part of our national vocabulary. In recent decades, Americans have even claimed that there are rights to food, clothing, shelter, a job, education, health care, a just wage, sex, or a paid vacation, etc. According to the rock band Beastie Boys, there is even a right to party! We also now speak of the rights of various groups, e.g., groups defined by race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
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