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Enlightenment Influence on American Government and Revolution The Enlightenment era was around the 18th century. A time where many different philosophers imputed many of their own thoughts and beliefs on religion, human rights, the government and other important situations involving our country today. Many figures associated with the Enlightenment were, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Baron Montesquieu, and Beccaria, to name a few.
James Madison directly explains the purpose of dividing the powers among the three branches to protect against tyranny, “...the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that they may be a check on the other...” By separating the powers and creating a system of checks and balances to guard against tyranny, the framers of the United States constitution directly aimed to protect the constitutional rights and liberties of individual citizens and the future of the nation. Just as the creators of the constitution sought to protect the citizens of the United States against tyranny with the separation of powers and checks and balances, the framers of the constitution also protected the rights of states with larger and smaller populations. To protect the rights of larger states and smaller states, the framers created a bicameral legislature system with the house of representatives and the senate. The members of the house of representatives are determined based on each states population, while the senate has 2 members per state, allowing for both large and small states to have equal
The Declaration of Independence laid a foundation of the present United States government, and the Constitution contributed onto that foundation which is what framed our form of government today, hundreds of years later. There are many ways the Constitution was created through the foundation of the Declaration of Independence, and the rights that the United States established were influenced from the abuse they faced under the British government. Although the Declaration did not give any rights or legal force, it portrayed a good aspect of how America should be shaped. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are the two most important documents in our nation that have formed how we live our lives today.
Enlightenment ideas were important to make the people write the Declaration of Independence which started the American Revolution. There were actions of many people that started the American revolution such as the actions of King George the third impacted all of these greatly. King George the third was the one who made the actions become so great that they had to write a document to get the rest of the colonists in on revolting or breaking away from the kingdom. This document was called the Declaration of Independence that finally declared America’s independence from England. The colonists did many different things that made the American Revolution happen, including come up with the ideas of the Enlightenment.
(Q4) As a scholar in 1789, looking at the United States Constitution I would see many ideas from the Enlightenment. There would be ideas from both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke reflected within the document. There are parts in the Constitution that explain how to build a powerful government to maintain control and keep the people in line. Thomas Hobbes believed that a strong government was a necessity. There are also parts that reflect classical liberalism however, which pushed for individualism and the government only having power that people allow it to have.
The Enlightenment served as an empowering movement and emancipated the colonists to embrace their beliefs in equality. John Locke set a standard on the basis of people having “personal” rights (privacy), which lead to a social contract that declared that as the government protected the people's natural rights, the people would allow the government to rule. Along with that declaration, Locke also said that if the government failed to abide, the people are allowed to revolt. All in all, because the colonists believed the British government had ignored their natural rights, the assumption was that the British had violated their promise in the contract which resulted in the American Revolution. After the colonial victory at the Battle of Saratoga
“All men are created equal” was a goal the Founding Fathers tried to achieve in forming the country. July 4, 1776, 56 delegated passed the Declaration of Independence to announce and explain separation from Great Britain. James Madison wrote the Constitution based off the ideas of the Enlightenment period, which had core ideas of personal liberty. The U.S. Constitution established America’s national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates in Philadelphia and presided over by George Washington.
The Enlightenment was a time of great intellectual growth and expansion, regarding what we humans knew about the world and how we interacted with one another. Many Enlightenment philosophers’ ideas are still being used throughout the economy today. From Montesquieu’s idea of the separation of powers, to Voltaire’s idea of the freedom of speech, these philosophies are what influenced America’s governmental foundation. The American government was hugely influenced by the ideas birthed during the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment thinkers also influenced us with their intelligence and discoveries. It is also believed that the failures of the Articles of Confederation influenced the United States Constitution because the founding fathers did not want for their government to fail, like it did with the articles. Without the influences of the United States Constitution, the United States government today would not be the same. For example without the United States Constitution, marriage rights could be denied to same sex couple, we would have our democratic right to vote for a president every 4 years, and etc. None of these things would have existed if it were not for the influences of the United States Constitution.
The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the American Revolution and the formation of the American Government. Firstly, The Enlightenment was a philosophical evolution that emphasized the aged ideas of the Greeks and Romans. In addition, the major philosophers of this time period were Voltaire, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, Adam Smith and Isaac Newton. Their ideals include having an absolute monarch as a government (T.H), the separation of powers (Mont.), the government should not interfere with a free market economy (A.S), the freedom of speech (Volt.), the government could be overruled (J.L), and the government should rule according to the will of the people. Nevertheless, these ideals are important because they shaped the government that we have today.
During the creation of Colonial America, many early ideas and characteristics began to form. Backgrounds began to become more diverse and communities began to become more occupied. Earlier more successful governments, set strong precedents, and taught American Founders the ideal route. A time period that was most influential for the American government was the Enlightenment Period. The Enlightenment set a foundation that many founders referenced and created the United States in their footsteps.
The founding fathers were influenced by many events and documents. They used these ideas to create the United States’ Constitution. One document that influenced America was the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact was written when the people in the United states made it because it was a new world and they needed laws . it was the first american democracy and it formed the constitution because it was a minnie example of what the gornmeto the new united states The Mayflower Compact shows the idea of Self-Government.
When the U.S. Constitution was written there were many works and sources referenced. These works were from Enlightenment thinkers such as, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Blackstone. Their ideas and beliefs are listed in our constitution and are applied in our everyday lives. While we did not always agree, there were many widely accepted ideas that were to be placed in the constitution. These ideas were ones that all colonist believed to be true and needed in order to run an extraordinary country that is for its people.
Enlightenment was created by the English philosopher John Locke. The ideas that were influenced by enlightenment were life, liberty, and property. This also gave to the idea of natural right. Enlightenment influenced the way people finally realized that divine right wasn’t right and start to doubt it. Throughout time enlightenment has influenced a lot of important events in history.
Constitution Influence Essay In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed and ratified setting America on the fasttrack to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some documents that encouraged and also followed up on the Declaration was the pamphlet, “Common Sense,” written by Thomas Paine, and also Federalist Paper No. 51 which was written by James Madison. The - now - historical document by Thomas Paine was all about the many reasons why America should unite against Great Britain to gain their independence. It also pushed a lot for a representative government.
