Both classical republicans and natural rights philosophers influenced the Founders’ views about the purpose and set up of government, as well as how citizens should live and the societal roles they serve. To accomplish this, many of the Founders reflected upon such works of philosophers as Aristotle and Cicero, as well as such political philosophers as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. We can see that in the Declaration of Independence, it asserts 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.” The government is granted by the people their consent to govern them with the promise of following civic virtue for the good of society, along with …show more content…
In the process, the principle of the rule of law dictates that each person of all institutions – including the government – is obligated to obey every law established and that there is no person above the higher law. The essential difference between classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy is that classical republicanism is primarily devoted to the common good of its citizens, while natural rights philosophy argues that the government should protect everyone’s unalienable rights. The natural rights philosopher, John Locke, argued that each individual has unalienable natural rights, these being life, liberty, and property. Conversely, Classical Republicanism favored the growth of the community and placed their efforts on keeping it republic, over individuals’ liberties. They were committed to promoting the good of the country rather than pursuing