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How Does Thomas Hobbes Influence On The Declaration Of Independence

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Graded AssignmentResearch Paper Final Draft(200 points)Type your draft here.Elora CopleyMs. FrischEnglish 113/10/18Foreign influence on The Declaration of IndependenceThe ideas surrounding government in our Declaration of Independence had multiple outside influences stretching from english and french philosophers to historical documents.English philosopher Thomas Hobbes’s ideas, laid out the basis as to why we need a declaration of independence, and why we need to have a government set in place. Hobbes said in his book LETHIAN, that people were incapable of ruling themselves primarily because, “humans are naturally self-centered and quarrelsome and need the iron fist of a strong leader.” Our founding fathers agreed, this is, in part, why our …show more content…

Locke stated that people were born with natural rights, the right to life, liberty, and property. One of the most famous quotes from the Declaration of Independence states those rights as, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Thomas Jefferson, the writer of that quote got his idea from John Locke. Another grand idea modified from one of Locke’s, was the people’s power to overthrow the government- in a legal way of course. John Locke, according to ushistory.org, stated that citizens could overthrow their government if it failed to protect their three natural rights. In today’s government, we the citizens have the right to exercise the right of revolution. According to the Connecticut Journal of International Law, right of revolution is defined as “the right or duty of the people of a nation to overthrow a government that acts against their common interests and/or threatens the safety of the people without probable cause.” Through right of revolution, John Locke’s ideas became a reality.Montesquieu, a french lawyer and philosopher from the 1700s, gave our founding fathers the idea of a three branched government. Having three branches of government allows us to keep the power balanced

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During the American Revolution many of the ideas of government and individual rights came from the Enlightenment. The ideas of Locke and Hobbes inspired Thomas Paine when writing the Common Sense pamphlet and leaders when writing the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Paine's pamphlet used the ideas of Hobbes to persuade colonists to gain independence from the King. Hobbes believed in a negative government, selfishness, and how people are greedy for power. Paine shows the colonists how the King is controlling, greedy, and only wants power.

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Previously, the colonists had problems with a faulty government and feared tyranny. When the colonists first had the opportunity to self-govern, The Articles of Confederation was formed and thus a poor example of government. The Articles of Confederation creating a weak, defenceless and powerless country. In the second attempt to create a more perfect government, the Constitution of the United States of America was formed. The colonists decided to place a guard against tyranny and thus, over 230 years after the writing of the Constitution of the United States, The Constitution in fact protects the states, the states rights and the citizens rights against tyranny.

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One of the biggest influences that John Locke had on President Jefferson was, what John Locke dubbed, “Natural Rights,” and what Jefferson called, “Unalienable Rights.” Meaning practically the same thing, these rights were very similar, and it is obvious that Jefferson’s version derives from Locke’s ‘Natural Rights.’ John Locke’s version stated that all peoples shall possess the following rights: Life, Liberty, and Property. In this case, life means, that people people will fight to live and want to survive. Liberty refers to being free, and being able to make one’s own decision.

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Thomas Jefferson's influences in writing the Declaration of Independence. Abstract: Continental Congress adopted a statement which claimed that 13 colonies are sovereign states under a name United States of America that is no longer the part of the British Empire. This statement/document is known as the ‘Declaration of Independence’, the ideology of which is influenced by the thinkers of Enlightenment Era especially John Locke and Rousseau. The philosophy of equality, fraternity, liberty, governance based on social contract and religious freedom are the core of United Sates Declaration of Independence.

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John Locke declared that through natural law, all people have the right to life, liberty, and property. In extent, under social contract, the people could instigate a revolution against the government when it acted against the interests of its citizens and that they had the power to replace the government with one that served the interests of its citizens. In opposition to Hobbes, who views government as almighty and immune to revolution, Locke permits revolution in circumstances of long and sustained abuse. The Bill of Rights and The Federalist Papers, too, can be seen as fortifying the right of revolution. In Federalist 28, Hamilton expresses this thought by saying, “if the persons entrusted with supreme power became usurpers…

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John Locke was a key figure in the Enlightenment (which was at its peak at the time of the revolution), who stated that the government’s duty was to secure the rights of the people with the consent of the governed. If the government fails to do its duty, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to create a new one. Essentially, this was what the American Declaration of Independence revolved around; it calls out King George III on his acts that violates their values of equality and their unalienable rights and declares the independence of the thirteen

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Individuals lay the foundation of America. The Founding Fathers of this unique nation broke their allegiance with Great Britain to create an improved governing body. They desired an individual-centered authority as opposed to Britain’s monarchy, which ruled with tyranny. These Founding Fathers experienced a neglectful democratic monarchy that cared little about the ethical treatment of its people. The domineering actions of Britain challenged these historic individuals to form a new cultural identity.

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Today, the citizens of America petition and vote to change aspects of the government that they believe could be improved; therefore, they are altering the government. Also, in the Declaration of Independence it talks about how King George III “plundered [our] seas, ravaged [our] coasts, burnt [our] towns, and destroyed the lives of [our] people.” (US 1776). In stating this, the writers proved how much of a tyrant King George was. They also pointed out other reasons for leaving, today, people will use reasoning as to why they do not like something in the government.

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If the government fails to fulfill its role in protecting the rights of its citizens, then the people have a right to revolt (Locke 1689). The concepts of natural rights and the social contract would go on to change the hearts and minds of American colonists and founding

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Have you ever wondered what our life would be like without a government? The government controls everything, from our country’s maintenance to each and every one of our everyday lives. That wasn’t the case before the Enlightenment period when a philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, developed his ideas. Thomas Hobbes contributed to the world with the idea of a strong central government that now acts as a foundation for many government figures in today's world. During Hobbe’s time serving the king, he developed his ideas on government power that inspired many governments today.

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The Declaration of Independence states, “--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”. In the article Why Government, it states, “But Locke also believed that governments should protect people’s natural rights.” Both of these quotes show that the purpose for creating government, is so that the protection of the natural rights of the people is ensured. Also, the idea that these fair powers are just what Men (human beings) are receiving and what they should receive from the creation of governments. Both of these quotes combine with each other, because of the pinpointed idea of how the government was created in order to benefit to the natural rights of the people, and to protect these

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John Locke, he is the reason that we got our natural rights life, liberty, and property, these are our rights we are born with and no one can take them away from the people. Once john mentioned we have natural rights our founding fathers used that and took it further they used it to get freedom of religion into our natural rights they used this quote to prove a point and to make a big statement to the people "To secure to ourselves and our latest posterity the great and inalienable rights of mankind.” They also were convinced to believe this as well, “that our natural rights on which there was the largest measure of agreement among the people were freedom of conscience, freedom of communication, the right to be free from arbitrary laws, the

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There were many philosophers in the 17th and 18th century that influenced and inspired the founders of our country. For instance, John Locke believed that life, liberty, and property should be our natural rights as humans and if the government could not secure these rights then the people could get rid of them. That idea impacted Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This was the perfect time to develop different theories and contradictions because this was right around the time of the printing press and protestant reformation where people started to question the catholic church. Other philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau impacted founders like George Washington and James Madison who have positively affected this country in many different ways.

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been proposed and tax breaks for the majority continue to be a hotly contested debate among our elected representatives. ADDITIONAL THEMES Academics, political scientists, public administrators and those with an interest in government have been studying Hobbes and Locke’s works for centuries. Many themes and theories have emerged since their original writings, both in agreement and disagreement. For the purposes of this paper, three themes will be presented.

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Locke defines political power as the right to make laws for the protection and regulation of property, he says these laws only work because the people accept them, and they are for public good. He believes that people could be trusted to govern themselves through democracy. Locke says that rule by a majority is the best way to decide laws and that there are three elements necessary elements for civil society: a known law, a known and indifferent judge, and the power to support such judgments. He says that the government should have different branches with a strong legislative body and a strong executive who does not overstep its power. Locke says that the purpose of the government is to protect individual liberties and rights, he also says that people have the right to revolt against an abusive government.

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