What does this statement mean men are born with certain rights that the government cannot take away these rights include life liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Answer 1

First of all, the original phrasing by Jefferson ignores women, who were at the time generally regarded as being much less important than men, and certainly not entitled to the same kinds of rights that men have; a more modern statement would describe the rights of people, rather than just the rights of men.

Secondly, it is not literally true that a government cannot take away people's rights; governments do this all the time, especially dictatorial or tyrannical governments, of which there are many. Rather, what this statement is trying to say is that it is morally offensive for governments to deprive people of their basic human rights. People deserve to have these rights.

As for what specifically these rights are, the right to life means you should not be arbitrarily killed; the right to liberty means that you should not be arbitrarily imprisoned, and the right to pursue happiness means that you should be able to live your own life as you see fit, without arbitrary interference from the government.