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How Did John Locke Contribute To Government

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John Locke John Locke was a privileged and renowned English philosopher who proposed several theories in order to better governance. His theories were eventually implemented by the founding fathers and ended up having lifelong impacts on the American government we have today. Though his profound ideas have shaped the foundation of our government, some aspects of his legacy are negative. Evaluating Locke’s several ideas allows us to understand his philosophy’s positive and negative contributions to the American political system, and how he can improve upon them. One of Locke's most significant contributions to America is his two treatises, which pair with his emphasis on liberalism and their five characteristics. His first treatise is lesser …show more content…

American democracy is based on the idea of limited government, meaning that the people have natural rights, as well as a social contract that indicates an agreement between the government and the people being governed. Through the emphasis on limited government, Locke helped lay down a foundation that protects citizens’ rights and prevents unreasonable use of power. Furthermore, Locke’s idea of impartial judges is seen within America’s judiciary system, where the judges help to decide disputes about federal laws or conflicts between other people. The system’s goal is to fight for the rights of the people and determine what is right and wrong based on the evidence and impartiality of the judges and the individuals in the court. Though the majority of Locke’s philosophy translates seamlessly into America’s government, however, some of his legacies negatively affect the people and can cause conflict. One of these negative legacies is property rights, he says that these rights are a foundation of individual freedom and what we get is based on the work that we put

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The American Revolution, won its independence during a political turmoil, which took place between 1765 and 1783. The turmoil arose from growing tension between Great Britain’s Thirteen American Colonies and the colonial government. Colonists refused to submit to the authority of the King and Parliament of Great Britain lead to the founding of the independent United States of America. The American Revolution helped to spark the French Revolution. French philosophers, John Locke, Thomas Hobbe, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire were well-known during the American revolution.

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• Thomas used Aristotle’s view of natural law to justify the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in political as well as religious matters. For the purpose of explaining the fundamental reasons of law he used Aristotle’s philosophy and added the use of an eternal ruler. John Locke • John Locke had a distinct influence on the writers of the American Constitution by advocating for human rights and liberty through democracy. In saying so, he believed that the mass majority of ordinary people can be capable of giving consent to their governor/ruler as opposed to the Monarch government. However if the ruler did not comply with the needs of the people, Locke believed that the public had the justified right to rebel.

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The writings of John Locke are the bedrock of a claim that rendered America’s governmental system much of its inspiration, as well as its validity. This being the case, John Locke’s effect on this nation’s history will never be fully realized, as its history would be entirely different without him, making any hypothetical attempt to separate the two fruitless. America’s very notion to disregard the then standard of a monarchy stemmed largely from Locke, as did its justification for its initial rebellion against its colonial power, which allowed to gain power as an individual state with the capacity to self-govern at all. In the vastly different way in which America chose to govern itself, we can again see Locke’s influence; for America choice

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During Locke years of service to Shaftesbury, he begins to write. When he came back to England he published all of his work. As one of the founder of the Whigs party, it pushed for constitutional monarch and it stood in the opposition to the dominant Tories. In Locke’s turning point, Two Treatises of Government, had pushed his revolutionary ideas concerning of the natural rights of man and also the social contract. Both of his concepts

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When analyzing the basic elements of American political culture, the ideas for John Locke and Adam Smith can be noted. For instance, John Locke made the argument that the authority the government is legitimized based on the consent from the governed. While all individuals have are “natural rights”. While Adam Smith noted the importance on limiting the government to protect the citizen’s economic rights. Locke’s ideas can be observed in the basic elements of American political culture within the structure.

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America, as we know it, is founded upon the democratic underpinnings of the government as a representation of the people, based on what they collectively express. Our system of checks and balances incorporated into the three branches of power known as executive, legislative and judicial, not only creates an important, distinct type of government separating us from the rest of the world, but is a present day, working example of the political contributions from an infinite number of philosophers, whether ancient or modern. The impact of John Locke, one such philosopher, can currently be seen in examples like the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, both of which “…read like a book report of [Locke’s] Second Treatise” (Snyder, “Lecture

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John Locke, Lily Williams, Keiser University John Locke contribution to American politics was immeasurable. Three of his major concepts government, knowledge, and freedom of religion are the foundations of America. ("Classical Liberalism", n.d ) The Age of Enlighten defined the period between 1715 thru 1785. The tenet was that governments could be modernized using the application of logical intelligence. (Sage, 2012).

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John Locke was born during a time of political upheaval in England and other European nations. It is this politically unstable environment that most likely inspired him to write is Second Treatise of Government. In this book Locke proposes solutions to the instability mainly through implementation of a limited government which uses political power to protect individual’s property. He is widely regarded as a strong defender of limited government and his legacy lives on in the constitutions of many modern nations including the United States, in which his work was highly influential in promoting democracy.

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The protection of property, the rule of law and good government are the focus of Locke’s emphasis on what is known as negative

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Locke was not even writing in a time when political debate centered on liberty. Rather, the debate of Locke’s time was between absolutism and constitutionalism, often tied to religion. As such, Locke’s work is not arguing for democracy, though it does lend itself well to democracy. Locke is also not arguing for the necessary liberty of the individual, though his argument can at times imply its necessity.

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John Locke is considered to be the father of liberalism because of his numerous works that addresses the government involvement with the people’s rights and what their role should be. Locke believed that the purpose of the government was to protect natural’s rights, property and liberty.3 Locke argues that the governments exist solely for the well-being of the community, any government that breaks the compact can and should be replaced.3 Locke also continues to say that the rule of the majority as the most practical choice for government. One of Locke’s works is the Second Treatise of Government, which discuss how individuals are under no obligation to obey each other, but are each themselves judge of what the law of nature requires. John

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Another thought was that all individuals had regular rights. These rights were life, freedom, and property. He said that individuals naturally picked up these rights when

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John Locke, a 17th century philosopher believed in natural rights, limited government and religion. All of Locke’s ideas became a foundation of philosophy all around America and Europe. His works helped him become the most know and important philosopher in the seventeenth century. Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe follows Locke’s philosophical thoughts. Locke believes that all knowledge comes from experience.

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At the end of the seventh century, the greatest theorist of political liberalism was the Englishman John Locke. With his writings drew attention in the field of politics. In 1690 they were published Two Treatises of Government (1690). The first was a refutation of government by divine right; the second was against Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan, published in 1651, which defended the social contract that was granted the State sovereignty.(“Tuckness”) For the latter, this was a necessity, since otherwise Thus anarchy and self - interest would lead to a war situation, converting natural life of man in "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."(“THOMAS”)

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Introductory Paragraph (description of theory) John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) is a English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke got a scholarship to Oxford University where he spent 30 years at Oxford, studying, tutoring, and writing. He wrote influential political science and philosophy. Locke 's famous theory had to do with the Social Contract theory. The Social Contract covers the origin of government and how much authority a state should have over an individual.

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