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Similarities Between John Locke's Second Treatise Of Government And The Commonwealth Of Oceana

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John Locke in 1690 wrote Second Treatise of Government and in 1656 James Harrington The Commonwealth of Oceana. Both documents and the ideas contained within them challenged the current day social institutions and beliefs and helped the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights come forth. Using their ideas, the founding fathers of our country framed the Constitution and Bill of Rights to flow and work together to shape the society we live in today. Locke’s ideas centered around the protection of natural rights and the authority of the governing body. Everyone shared the same natural rights and “may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another” (Locke 38). Locke believed that people would come together and create a society where they are governed “for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which I call by the general name, property” (Locke 47). Locke’s focus was on the purpose of government protecting those natural …show more content…

Harrington recognized that all the governments at the time would eventually become evil: “through their proneness to degenerate, to be all evil” (Harrington 50). His idea was to mix the rule of the one, few, and many altogether and pit them against each other so that they can check each other’s power so that there is balance in the government. This leads to the people being governed by reason and not by passion. These views and ideas of Harrington are strongly prevalent in the Constitution. For example, the separation of powers of executive, judicial, and legislative branches check each other’s power so that one can’t have all the influence or the balance of powers between the national government and state

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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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John Locke was a philosopher, and political scientist. He believed democracy was a considerably better form of government than a monarchy. Thomas Jefferson was the third U.S. president, and was one of America’s founding fathers. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, and played a key role in the institution of the United States of America. John Locke was a very influential person when it came to Thomas Jefferson and the ideas within the Declaration of Independence.

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The elements of the "Founder's Toolbox" and the ideals of John Locke and James Harrington were some of major intellectual influences that led to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Founders based the structure, participation, and leadership of their government on writings from Harrington and included them in the Constitution. The moral sense from Locke provided a good base for the law of the United States government and was included in the Bill of Rights. These principles helped model the system of government we enjoy today.

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He believed a government is based on the consent of the governed. The Constitution states that the government is “by the people, for the people”. This directly aligns with what John Locke believed. John Locke believed in individual liberties. The Bill of Rights directly lists out what liberties and rights citizens would have.

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John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government was important because it helped create civil societies in which people would give up order to receive protection and security from their government(Locke 1690). This was important because it created a peaceful living and order, but also the people still had the right to overthrow their government if they felt they were not representing the people anymore and abusing power(Locke 1690). The Mayflower Compact and John Locke’s ideas helped our founders shape the U.S to create a better future, and set forth a foundation in which future principles could branch from. The Mayflower Compact was written by loyal, religious colonists that had just landed in America, it was their first attempt at establishing a document that would tell the people their rights, and who would be their leader (Nobles 1215).

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Locke helped shape the United States government and many other nations governing systems around the world. Locke believed all men were born with the rights of life or your natural rights of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a government should protect and respect the rights of individuals. Under the protection of your government he believed “whom the society hath set over itself, with this express or tacit trust, that it shall be employed for their good, and the preservation of their property: now this power, which every man has in the state of nature, and which he parts with to the society in all such cases where the society can secure him, is to use such means, for the preserving of his own property, as he thinks good, and nature allows him; and to punish the breach of the law of nature in other” (Document C). By introducing natural rights the common people gained more power through an equality between all men. Natural rights gave people the right to possess and protect their own property both physical items and personal ideals.

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In the Passage , we were focused on the the natural rights that people have , for example one of these people were John Locke who was an english philosopher that was known for his natural rights because of his book the Two Treaties of the Government , his book was widely read , many of his ideas was used by the Founder’s and was used in the Declaration of Independence , after the victory of the Revolution War and writing their state constitution. Locke also have ideas about natural rights about what would it be to live in the state of nature , when he thought about natural rights he thought of three things in which people need the most in the state of nature , life in which where people need to survive and stay away and protected by threats

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He believed that everyone is entitled to three rights life, liberty, and property. He argued that God and nature granted these rights to you and they could not be taken away or limited by anyone. Locke believed that even in the state of nature one was granted these rights. Therefore, when it came to government, he believed that their sole purpose was to

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John Locke’s Second Treatise on government’s responsibility to its citizens educates on the importance of a strong government. It details on how to go about getting one, maintaining one, and grooming the people for one. Locke also touches on the importance of a continual ruling style and the difficulties of change for the governed people. A balanced government establishes legislative power, governs by declaring laws, and keeps power where the people want it as each country needs a strong foundation. According to Locke, a strong foundation starts with constructing a stable legislature.

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Locke’s ideas from the Two Treatises of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, were based upon the natural rights where power comes from the people. Both of his pieces contributed to revolutions, most importantly the American Revolution as power from monarchies was removed and democracies were created. Allowed for limited government power and all obligations were to the citizens. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding basis was on how the knowledge existence of God, certain moral truths, and laws of logic or mathematics pertained to the natural rights of

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John Locke, in some of his most immortal words, once said that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” Locke believed in these natural rights of the human being, and he challenged the idea of a monarch’s divine right to the throne; instead, he favored a social contract in which people consented a government to rule over them. While they may relinquish some of their rights, these four should always remain: life, health, liberty, and possessions. Though at first sight these may seem trivial and obvious, there are times when the powers in force neglect them. It is during these times when people must utilize their born human right to protest in resistance to poor treatment and demand something better.

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To the People of New York State: Just a short while ago we embarked on the journey to regain our liberty from tyranny. The unalienable rights in which our nation was founded have guided the establishment of our government. The purpose of government, political philosopher John Locke believed, is to secure and protect the unalienable rights of the people in which it governs. However, when a government fails to do that, people have the right to alter or abolish it, forming a new political system in its place. As people, we possess the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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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.

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John Locke believed that human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance. People are born with certain inalienable rights, which are life, liberty and the right to own property. Man is by nature a social animal. He viewed the mind at birth a “blank slate” without rule, data is added, and rules for processing them are formed by our own experiences. Locke believed that the government has more potential of being dangerous,and that one should fight if he felt like his rights were being violated.

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The Common Sense pamphlet was written by Thomas Paine he was an editor for the Pennsylvanian magazine. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. These two authors, Paine and Jefferson got their ideas from the Enlightenment philosophers Voltaire, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. One philosopher’s ideas that was found in both documents was Voltaire.

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