How Did The Enlightenment Influence The Constitution

The constitution was a product of the Founding Fathers, who are the traditional American political elite, and therefore their ideology was translated into the document because the elite were held to the highest regard. The influences of the Enlightenment in the United States can be traced back to The Articles of Confederation and The Declaration of Independence, which were direct predecessors of the Constitution. The political elite created the Constitution of 1787, and outlined the ideals and laws of the United States. Abusing this power, the men of the Constitutional Convention wrote articles reflecting their personal and economic interests. The United States Constitution of 1787 represented an ideological and economic victory for the America’s

As such the American Dream continues the idea that any person who resides within the United States has equal access and opportunity to succeed no matter their socio-economic class, political beliefs, or background. These ideas are not the original reckoning of the founding fathers, but rather inspired by the great thinkers of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was one of the greatest ideological influences of the writers of the constitution (Smith, 2). The idea of entitlement to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from birth comes from John Locke (“Voices of the Revolution: Two Great Thinkers”). Locke is notable for his ideology and its impact on the United States. His ideology discussed the rights of equality that mankind should posses, along with the organization of executive versus legislative bodies. The most important part of this statement is the right to liberty, which gives every citizen the right to be free. The Enlightenment promised ideas of democracy and other such freedoms never seen under the Crown; the Intolerable Acts that Great Britain imposed on the colonists gave enough reason for them to start their own country. After the Boston Tea

James Madison believed that we should, “‘Settle disputes between the people and the elite by making the elite the representatives of the people.’ Madison even suggested that ... ‘the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people . . . more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves.’” (Kreitner, 2). James Madison, who was a powerful voice at the Constitutional Convention, believed that the elite should be the representative body for the entirety of the union. As the most educated men, they were supposed to know the most about the policies needed in the new union. Because the elite had no financial concerns, people believed that they held the best interest of the country over the interests of their communities. To “settle” these disputes, Madison says the the elite could represent the people rather than the masses representing themselves. This is illogical, as the people knew the concerns of their community, and had ideas about the ways to solve them. The political elite then ratified this new constitution through an undemocratic process; people weren’t directly involved, in fact only 15-25% of citizens voted (Grassman, 9-10). Only white men who owned land, who became known as the “elite” upper-class, were eligible to vote.