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John Locke's Impact On Governmental Reform

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John Locke was one of the most important philosophers of the Enlightenment period. Born in 1632 in Somerset, England, Locke began his career in medicine. As the personal physician to the Earl of Shaftesbury, Locke gained entry to English political life, for which he eventually rewrote the rules of the game. Locke offered a fundamentally different philosophy of government than what the rulers of Europe and the world had relied on for centuries. His thoughts and writings laid the foundation for liberal political philosophy. John Locke was an extremely influential historical figure whose writings directly inspired the foundation and structure of modern democratic states that continue to uphold Locke’s principles today.
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John Locke impacted governmental reform directly by addressing issues that were critical during his time. Regarding his own native England, he wrote and publicized a letter that justified the Revolution of 1688 and explained why it was appropriate for William of Orange to replace James II as ruler. Among his justifications, Locke argued that William of Orange listened to the people’s voices, whereas James II did not. England adopted many of John Locke's ideas after the 1688 Glorious Revolution, including the notion that no ruler has a divine right to rule. Locke also drafted England’s first Bill of Rights, which was then almost entirely accepted by Parliament, with the exception of the section on religious tolerance. Regarding judicial practices, Locke wrote of the need for unbiased judges who would enforce the laws of England fairly. Locke wished to ensure that those with power could not send people to jail for convenience. As a result, Lord Shaftesbury, a man Locke worked for for many years, encouraged his Parliament friends to adopt the Act of Habeas Corpus, a law that prohibits the prosecution of individuals without due reason or due evidence. The Habeas Corpus Act prevents people from being sent to jail without reasonable evidence. By working through issues that were critical to his society, Locke was able to refine his ideas into working solutions that became the law of England and an example to the

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It is understood that John Locke played a key role of influence on Thomas Jefferson. This influence can be seen through Jefferson’s writing on the nation’s founding document. This document is called the Declaration of Independence. John Locke, the English Enlightenment philosopher wrote his Two Treatises of Government to refute the belief that kings ruled by divine right and to support the Glorious Revolution of 1688 (Doc 1). This piece of political philosophy provided many explanations for the people’s rights and obligations to overthrow a corrupt government.

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He affected the Principles of the American government by writing books. He had many theories about different things such as political things, educational and others, and he would always do all of this by writing a books on them. from Locke, James Madison drew his most fundamental principles of liberty and government. Locke's writings were part of Benjamin Franklin's self-education, and John Adams believed that both girls and boys should learn about Locke. The French philosopher Voltaire called Locke “the man of the greatest wisdom.

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As teens rebel against their mothers, so to did America rebel against the British during the 18th Century. However, also like children they followed their mother’s footsteps. Oliver Cromwell led a revolt against the Staurt monarchy and similarly colonists revolted against the British. During this time, an English philosopher named John Locke wrote works on political philosophies, mainly against the Stuarts. John Locke would have believed that the American colonists justified their resentments against the British especially, since the British stole their fundamental rights of liberty, property, and life.

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His work was often cited by revolutionary Americans. “Locke helped inspire Thomas Paine’s radical ideas about revolution. Locke fired up George Mason. From Locke, James Madison drew his most fundamental principles of liberty and government. Locke’s writings were part of Benjamin Franklin’s self-education, and John Adams believed that both girls and boys should learn about Locke”.

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The rights he thought were inalienable was the right to life, liberty and property, he choose property because he thought if you have your own land you can make their own happiness,Later Thomas Jefferson turned it into Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those are the rights he thought you do not have to give up to the government because those are your rights as a citizen. People have noted that phrases from Locke’s Second Treatise of Government was found in the Declaration of INdependence. Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet that stated reasons why they should break away from the British rule and since the Declaration was a list of reasons why the New World should break away from Great Britain, it helped establish the Declaration of

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John Locke was born in 1632 to Agnes Keene and John Locke. His father was a lawyer and small landowner who had fought on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil War of the 1640s. Using his wartime connections, he placed his son in the elite Westminster School. While in school John Locke focused his studying on logic, metaphysics, and classics. His study in logic and metaphysics later had a strong impact on his

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As Hobbes believed that each person should be controlled by a ruler that has been provided with absolute power, Locke believed in natural rights. The time that John Locke made his beliefs public was an eventful time in England, especially having to deal with politics. During the time of John Locke, he was able to see the Civil War, Interregnum, Restoration, Exclusion Crisis, and the Glorious Revolution. John Locke still managed to make himself known in a time of incredibly important changing in history. Locke was known for holding administrative positions in government and paying a great deal of attention to contemporary debates in political theory.

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John Locke is a famous and influential 17th century English philosopher and political theorist who not only influenced and laid the ground work for the Enlightenment, but who also influenced the foundations of the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Being one of the authors of the Social Contract Theory, he paved the way for democracy, republicanism and liberalism. One of his most important and notable work’s to this day is the “Two Treatises of Civil Government,” which is the document in which the American founding fathers accredited their work to as they used his political theories to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

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He played a part in encouraging humans to anatomize the under pinnings of our own political ideas, so that we may gain an intellectual attachment to those ideas and see potential weaknesses of them. Contrary to his predecessor, Thomas Hobbes, Locke played more of an activist role and wanted a much greater result than what is only offered by pen. After witnessing the 1688 Glorious Revolution, known to be equally or more important as the American Revolution in forwarding the cause of modern liberal democracy, and his friend status with many of the key players in the revolution, it’s clear his writing included pieces rooted in response. The Glorious Revolution kept Catholics from regaining control of England and ended possibility of the reestablishment of Catholicism’s reign, further separating church from state, granting parliament greater control and increasing citizens’ representation through parliament, all of which have some translation to Locke’s

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