Thomas Jefferson, the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence was greatly influenced by the philosopher John Locke. Locke believed that humans had natural rights, that power comes from the people and all men are equal, and these beliefs can be found in Jefferson’s writings. American’s believe they have certain rights that can’t be taken away from them. The
John Locke was a philosopher and political scientist. He had many interests and produced a number of writings that influenced future leaders. One of these leaders was Thomas Jefferson, who was involved with the aid of America and the act gaining independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence and Locke’s views on government contain many similar aspects. These ideas includes the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (natural rights); the protection that is provided by the government for these rights; and the altering or abolishment of government if it fails to provide and protect the rights of the people.
The Declaration of Independence encompasses several major philosophical arguments that serve as the foundation for the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States. These arguments include the idea of natural rights, social contract theory, the right to revolution, and the role of government. One of the central philosophical arguments in the Declaration is the concept of natural rights. It asserts that all individuals possess inherent and unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The document argues that these rights are not granted by any government or authority but are derived from nature or a higher power.
The natural given right of life, liberty and the right to own property ideas of the philosopher John Locke were fundamental to the creation of probably the two most important document of the United States: The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. This was achieved during 18th century within the Enlightenment period. In the Enlightenment period reasoning was the main focus towards a social change in order to eliminate the suffering of human beings and set precedent to the pursuit of happiness. Rogers stated the “Jefferson's ideas in the Declaration of Independence put the 13 Colonies on the road toward the creation of a new, independent nation.”
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.
These four great minds are what shaped the future and paved a new way of thinking. They carved the world into what it is known as today. They were the ones who said that people make their own choices and should be given choice. They are the Philosophes. The great thinkers were John Locke, Adam Smith, Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet), and Mary Wollstonecraft.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) had studied political science and had read Locke's Two Treatises on Civil Government while he was in college. He was very impressed with the ideas of John Locke, especially with the idea that no government could exist without the approval of the people. Jefferson also believed that if a government treated its citizens unfairly, the citizens could break away and form a new government. In the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
The average man, though he longs for freedom, feels the need to be safe. People naturally wish to have the freedom to act on things, believe in things or say things, but, they want themselves and their families to be safe while doing so. Alongside the need for safety, man has a need for privacy. People tend to react negatively to others digging into their personal lives, creating a want for their own privacy in life. This subconscious need for safety and privacy has always trumped man’s desire for absolute freedom.
The declaration of independence states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”. What Thomas Jefferson meant by that is, we have rights that cannot be taken away by anyone, not even the government. John Locke had an influence this by stating, “Men have rights by their nature… We give up our
Locke’s justification of revolt, based off of the theory of natural rights, was what gave Thomas Jefferson the background in writing The Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence from the declaration written by John
In some ways, reading the American Declaration of Independence can feel like a “John Locke’s Greatest Hits” essay, with many of it’s key points directly borrowed from the Second Treatise of Government. It might even have been appropriate for Thomas Jefferson to have included a Works Cited or Bibliography page, given how much of the Declaration is the accumulation of the works of the era’s foremost philosophers and thinkers. The Declaration of Independence premises itself on the notions of the legitimacy of governments and the consent of the governed, both of which are central tenants of the political philosophy of John Locke. The parallels between the Declaration and the works of John Locke can best be seen in this statement from paragraph two: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government
The rights of “life, liberty, health, and possessions” are an essential key in having a balanced life. The Two Treatises on Government written by John Locke, influenced most ideas in the Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This document influenced Enlightenment ideas such as religious toleration, the sovereignty of the people, press freedom, the right to rebel, and no taxation without representation. These documents helped create a better society in the word today.
John Locke, the philosopher who inspired the Declaration of Independence, appears to be the natural place to commence the story of democracy in America, yet Tocqueville forwent the traditional route, he opted to start his narrative of democracy with the recapitulation of the voyage made by the Puritans. The Puritans came to America with an idea, “an idea they wanted to make a triumph, but it was religious and Christian idea for which they call themselves pilgrims”(PAGE#) Toq ascertains that the religious doctrine the Puritans promoted was infused with absolute Democratic and Republican theories. The theories invoked sentiments of equality, self-government, and public education, which were practiced by the Puritans in place of liberalism and
John Locke was an english philosopher and a political theorist who was a major contribution to the enlightenment era, and made contributions to the development of liberalism, which led him to be known as the father of liberalism. Locke wrote many influential essays and believed that People were born with natural rights which are Life, liberty, and property,cannot be taken away by law, his writings influenced Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence. John locke became one of the most influential people in government and always wanted to bring people together. In Ender's Game, John Locke relates to Peter when him and Valentine used pseudonyms to “take over the world” the character of Peter was much like John Locke, Peter
John Locke John Locke was a French philosopher. He was born August 29,1632 and died October 28, 1704. He had mostly humanitarian views which consisted relatively basic principles like humans being sociable by nature and how this affects the way societies should be governed. His views were a key part of many societies structure none more famous than that of the United States of America and its early leaders, such as first President George Washington, second President John Adams, and third President Thomas Jefferson. No American figure is quite as iconic as the great general/president George Washington.
