According to Enlightenment thinkers, the fundamental purpose of a government was to A protect people's natural rights
B provide equal opportunities for all citizens
c) defend the nation against foreign invasions
D establish a system of free public education

A. protect people's natural rights

Explanation:

During the Age of Enlightenment, the concept of natural human rights as we know it started to emerge. The thinkers of this age were the first to question the authority of the absolute monarch. The idea that kings have all the rights shifted in favor of the idea people have their own rights, gained by birth.

Natural human rights included rights to life, liberty, and property. By their ideas, the government was the one who should ensure all people have these rights. They are universal, despite the beliefs or the government that holds the law. In case these universal rights are not fulfilled, people have all the right to overthrown the government that has not provided them.

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