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How Did John Locke Play In The Declaration Of Independence

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The Declaration of Independence is a famous document for many reasons. It declared the colonies independence from Great Britain. Before that time congress picked a committee to write a declaration explaining why the colonies wanted independence. It stated basic rights and liberties for Americans. Thomas Jefferson was picked to draft the declaration of independence. What many of his fellow colleges stated where and whom did Jefferson conjure these ideas from? Many believe that John Locke has a role to play in the deliberation of the content behind the Declaration of Independence but in what ways?

Many people believed that the ideas depicted from the declaration of independence came from Locke. John Locke wrote his second treatise of government in 1689 at the time of England’s Glorious Revolution. Locke states that, “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, … that being all equal and independent, no …show more content…

Locke believed that the government was to protect the people’s natural rights. On the people’s behalf they must follow the laws of the land. The Declaration of Independence says “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive …, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it…” Locke states, “…that he who attempts to get another man into his absolute power, does thereby put himself into a state of war with him...” and create a new political system. The statements provided can cause the people of the colonies to rebel against the government due to injustice to human rights. The Declaration spells out the injustices that had been done on the colonies and the people felt that the government was never really going to conjure up a solution for the problems that they faced. Locke stated, “… the want of … an appeal gives a man the right of war even against an aggressor, tho’ he be in

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