Creation Of The United States Dbq Essay

The creation of the United States was a long process that was influenced by many different individuals with many different thoughts and ideas. Jean Jacques Rousseau was one of many who contributed ideas that helped shaped our government as we know it, but his ideas were the most important to consider when creating the United States Government, followed by the ideas of Montesquieu, John Locke, and Voltaire. Rousseau understood that a government couldn't function properly if the people were unwilling to submit to a higher authority, thus creating the concept of the consent of the governed. All the men and women who helped create this country wanted to create something that was different than what they were used to. In the 1500’s

Rousseau’s beliefs coincided with the beliefs of other Enlightenment thinkers. This is shown when he writes, “Duty and interest thus equally require the two contracting parties [the people and the government] to aid each other mutually” (Document 3). In that period of history, it was typical for people to be ruled by a monarch and they had very little say, if any, in the laws and policies that impacted their day to day life. Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the government and the people are forced to work together, it creates a sense of unity and equality. This works because “ … an offense against one of its members is an offense against the body politic. It would be even less possible to injure the body without its members feeling it”

“ … it is requisite the government be so constituted as one man need not be afraid of another” (Document 2). In some countries, today and in the past, there are instances of dictators creating and enforcing laws that void an individual’s natural rights, but because of Montesquieu's influence on the division of power, the people have no need to fear the government abusing its power. According to the revolutionary enlightenment thinker, there can be no liberty if the legislative and executive powers have equal authority because then tyrannical laws could be imposed. Liberty also can’t be had if the judicial branch isn’t separate from the executive and legislative because if it were joined with the legislative branch, citizens would be exposed to arbitrary control; were it joined with the executive branch, the judge might behave with the violence of an oppressor (Document 2). This concept of checks and balances is directly seen in the Constitution. No branch can make a decision without the consent or agreement of at least one other branch. The practice establishes a foundation for a fair and honest government that keeps in mind the interest of the