Legal rights aren't granted by man, but they are protected by man at the cost of other rights. This is the essence of the Social Contract.
Here's a question: Did black slaves in the south have a natural right of freedom and the right to rebel to obtain that freedom? Did they have a legal right to do so?
I don’t know if I agree with you that legal rights aren’t granted by man but are protected by man at the cost of other rights. I need to think on this and process it, but I will admit that my first reaction to it is that legal rights are granted by man but only as a recognition of the natural rights granted by God.
As for the natural rights of slaves in the South, let me ask you this.
Does mankind have a natural right to freedom or just liberty? Is there a difference between the two? Can liberty exist without freedom, or can it exist despite the lack of freedom?
We use the words “liberty” and “freedom” interchangably, but are we correct in doing so?
I honestly don’t know. I have a hunch that they are interchangable, but there’s a nagging doubt that I’m missing something here.