When the colonies declared independence, what were their ideas about government?

When the colonists declared their independence from Great Britain, they believed that the government’s role was to protect the rights that the people had. They believed that the people had rights that can’t be taken away by the government or given up by individuals. These rights included the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They believed that if the government didn’t protect the rights of the people, then the people had no choice but to get rid of that government and replace it with a new government that would protect those rights. They also believed they needed to tell the world why they were declaring their independence from Great Britain.
The colonists were very concerned that the new government that they were going to create would have too much power. They were fearful that a strong federal government might abuse its powers. They also worried that a strong leader might start acting like the King of England had acted. As a result, the first federal government created by the colonies, known as the Articles of Confederation, was a very weak one with very limited powers and very limited authority.
https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/ar/91857.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/articles-of-confederation