Some were different, however they were very much similar. One of the many ideas were that the people created the government and also that all men have their natural rights. . John Locke included that all men have natural rights: life, liberty, and property. (Doc 1) This idea then influenced a well-known president: Thomas Jefferson.
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.
Judging from what I have read and seen off the videos shown to us for each philosopher, I believe that the biggest influence on the U.S constitution would have to be John Locke. He focused on the issues that to this day we are still concerned over which are; who should rule over us, how we should educate our children and what to do with those that have different religions from us. As mentioned, Locke had argued against Thomas Hobbes social contract so that people can have the right to over throw the ruler if the ruler acted like a tyrant. This became a big influence on the democratic revolution because to this day as we know it we still have a say in which ruler (president and government) we want to expel from giving us orders so long as we
New England was fed up with the Church of England and the Puritans wanted to recreate their own religion which they thought was more what God had believed was the intended belief. They both decided that neither of them like the way England was set up and said that England was no good for their beliefs. They planned to leave England and go to the new world to set up a life where their children had the chance to be raised in a perfect society with no corruption. Concentrated on town life and industries, they made a living off of fishing, whaling and shipbuilding. Whale oil was key because it made their lamps.
In order to write the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental Congress had used various sources, which include philosopher literatures, philosophers and history. In the second passage of the declaration, their lies that phrase that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”. The unalienable rights, or the one’s natural rights, were part of John Locke’s philosophies. He stated in his writings that the privilege to life, liberty and property were bestowed upon one’s birth, and that a part of a functioning government's role was to protect its citizens’ natural rights. In addition to John Locke’s theory of the unalienable rights, the Spirit of Laws, by Charles Montesquieu, was used to help form and prove
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 was a 17th-century philosopher and political thinker who created the basis of republican government and inspired the Founders of the United States, in particular, Thomas Jefferson. In agreeance with Thomas Hobbes’s theory of the origins of government coming into existence due to mankind in the form of social contracts, he argued that since people created government it should thus do what the people demand and protect their rights. This is detailed in his famous work Second Treatise of Civil Government in which he argues that rulers are given power through consent of those governed and thus must protect their human rights, which he believed included life, liberty, and property. If government were to fail in protecting those rights, the people had the right to overthrow the existing government for one which would uphold order and provide and protect those rights. He also argued that government had immense power that could be abused and lead to dangerous outcomes such as controlling those governed.
In the republic democracy of the United States of America, the Founders of our Nation created a system of separation of powers with checks and balances. Our Founders used the philosophy of John Locke in Second Treatise of Government, to give us our “natural rights” and what the state of nature means. For John Locke, the legislature and executive branches must remain separate, for a country to tread past the state of nature and into a governing body. He gives clear insight to what powers each of the branches should hold. Including what should happen in a civil crisis or emergency.
Locke wrote his book “ Two Treatises of Government” in this book he stated that he believed the government gained authority through the consent of the governed and that it was the duty of the government to protect the natural rights of the people. Locke believed these natural rights included the right to life, liberty, and property. In the U.S Constitution those natural birth given rights are listed as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Locke also believed that if the government failed to protect these rights the people had the right to overthrow the government and establish a new one. Thomas Jefferson summed up his ideas in the constitution.
Many of his thoughts and principles were studied and adopted by the founders of the United States and are evident in documents, just like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Locke emphasized the freedom of humans, the equality of all before God, regulation and authorities through consent of the governed, and he justified the overthrow of presidency when it fails the people. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was another prominent thinker from the Enlightenment era. Rousseau differed with Locke about the position of the individual in relation to the country, with Rousseau emphasizing the importance of the ruled being worried in
Among these figures, were philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke who argued that there were inherent rights that could not be taken or infringed upon by governmental authority. These rights were the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. John Locke, in particular, influenced the American people through his written works “Two Treatises of the Government”. Locke brings forward key ideas that contributed to the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Locke asserted that governments are created through the consent of the governed whose purpose is to protect the natural rights of its citizens (Locke 1689).
Two Treatises of Government Two Treatises of Government was a book written by enlightenment philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) on political philosophy. Locke wrote about the “natural rights” of men in his book. Locke stated that if a government fails to protects its citizens’ natural rights of life, liberty, and property, the government becomes a tyranny. Locke also stated that when under a tyrannical government, people have the natural right to rebel. In this book, Locke argues that sovereign power resides in the people, who may reject a monarch who does not obey the law.
In order to maintain a balance between the government and the people, John Locke came up with the idea of the social contract, it calls for the people to give up some their right to allow for the government to keep order and protect them. Locke also stated that there were three basic rights for humans, life, liberty, and property, none of them were to be given up in the social contract. These ideas influenced major people such as Catherine II of Russia, Louis XVI of France, and Frederick the Great of Prussia and caused them to structure
Locke's exile came to an end with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when William of Orange invaded England and James II fled to France. With the establishment of parliamentary rule in England, Locke was able to return home. His influential works, including "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" and "Two Treatises of Government," were published during this period. Locke's ideas on empiricism, religious tolerance, and the role of the state continue to shape Western philosophy and establish him as one of history's most profound thinkers. Locke on Human Understanding John Locke's monumental work, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, delves into the core aspects of cognition, language, perception, and the mind.
During the 19th century, machinery made its way into European society. It transformed the lives of European citizens and this period of time was known as the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution enriched Europe 's economy and expanded its wealth; however, this did not come without consequence. While Europe became industrialized, the quality of life diminished. The industrial factories polluted the environment and intoxicated citizens.