From 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."
These rights come from a Creator, the Ultimate authority in the Universe, whom Thomas Jefferson also styled "Nature's God" and "Supreme Judge of the world"
Rights do not emerge from the human being -- they are accorded to man by God.
Therefore, they are not a product of equality or fairness, although in full justice every person is endowed with these rights at birth -- hence, "natural rights" as opposed to "civil rights", which come from the state, or "subject rights" bestowed by a monarch.
Still, there is a grand hierarchy in the world that makes these rights possible and preferable. We did not make ourselves, nor can we claim to create rights out of thin air. They are granted by God.
If nothing else, this line of truth puts at an end the leveling liberalism of modern life, ever seeking to challenge authority and assert the common brotherhood of man at the expense of individual right and essence.
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