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The Influence Of John Locke's Two Treatises On Government

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Every human society no matter how primitive or complex must have a power structure. Yet there can be many ways in, which power and authority are shared or sometimes not shared at all. Other the centuries there have been a variety of theories and systems to identify plus when possible implement the proper role of power and authority. There are instances of power and authority evolving over time as well as attempts to introduce ideal or utopian power structures. Concepts about the wielding and distribution of power have certainly altered over the centuries though not always in a progressive or democratic way. Plato in the seminal work The Republic stated that the ideal form of government should be a democratic republic in that cities or states should be …show more content…

That book was Two Treatises on Government by John Locke. This work was written to justify the overthrow of James II by Parliament to invite his son in law William of Orange to become king. Locke was arguing that monarchs should respect the rights of citizens and allow the wealthy to make money and run the country. Locke was a liberal, and liberalism was an ideal that spread throughout the 19th century, and would influence concepts on power sharing and authority within societies. Liberalism was linked to the Enlightenment movement, though that movement was linked to socialism and the general will as well. Enlightenment thinkers such as David Hume, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau spread liberal ideas yet in the latter 's case their works have been used to justify authoritarian rule. The two great liberal events of the 18th century were the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Yet though these revolutions were nominally democratic neither gave every citizen equal rights, excluding both slaves and women. The beginnings of feminism can be traced to the French Revolution yet by the time that Virginia Woolf wrote A Room of One 's Own she was still lamenting the lack of

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Locke’s influence on Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence All individuals are created equal. This is one of the many ideas the United States is built on. This concept existed long before the Declaration of Independence was written. This idea was introduced by John Locke who was an Enlightenment thinker. The declaration of Independence is where Americans declared their rights.

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Fifty years after the writing of the Declaration of Independence, on May 8th, 1825, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Henry Lee. Jefferson wrote to Lee telling him what he remembered and what inspired him and the Committee of Five to write the Declaration. Jefferson wrote he was not looking for new ideas, or principles that no one had thought of but to state the “common sense” of the subject of American independence. He went on to say that nothing was really “copied from any particular and previous writing,” but rather it was the American belief at the time. Even though Thomas Jefferson says nothing was really copied, the Declaration was definitely influenced by other thoughts, ideals, and principles that were written around that time.

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The Primary objective of all leaders should be to control citizens. A society that allows authority to be challenged will never succeed. This source depicts an authoritarian or totalitarian view of what a governing body should look like. The author suggests that the primary objective of government should be the “control of the citizens”, and therefore that the individuals should entirely obey said government.

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Thomas Jefferson did not write the Declaration of Independence on his own, for much of his ideas were not his own but others. Indeed, there is ample evidence that he borrowed from the works of men such as John Locke and George Mason. The first man Thomas Jefferson likely borrowed work from was John Locke. John Locke talked about Two Treatises of Governments.

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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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The foundation and nature of the American government has been greatly inspired by political philosophers. Forrest McDonald analyzes the ideas of these philosophers in chapter three of "The American Presidency: An Intellectual History. " Of all the political philosophers, John Locke contributed the most ideas that we're put to use by the framers of the American government. Locke writes the "Two Treatises of Government", which is later studied by the framers and influences their prospective towards the creation of the Constitution. Throughout writing the Constitution, the framers acknowledge significant ideas introduced by John 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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The historical development of the world from 1690 to 1830 wouldn’t be what it was if it weren’t for John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. Locke’s Second Treatise not only sparked individualism, but also revolutions, and was a guide to the creations of declarations around the world. Two main revolutions and declarations that Locke’s ideas inspired were the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

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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.

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Locke had stated that when an executive act for his own benefit, and not to serve the ends of the people. He “degrades himself” and becomes “but a single private person without power,” at which point he no longer has any right to rule over the people. Locke expresses the idea of rebellion against an unjust government. By giving the idea of rebellion, he also reveals that a human’s rights have changed over the years and that a man now has inherent rights. It was because of his declaration that the statement, “give me liberty or give me death,” become popular among the American people.

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There are many principles of government from the Declaration of Independence that are still valid today. One principle is that all persons are rightfully sovereign over their own affairs, which do not infringe upon the rights of others. This principle is still valid because we should have rights and ownership to our own property, and no one should be able to take that property away. It makes sure that what you own doesn’t affect other people, and protects their property as well. The government created to protect the rights of the people, and is consented by the governed, is also an important principle.

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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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Introductory Paragraph (description of theory) John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) is a English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke got a scholarship to Oxford University where he spent 30 years at Oxford, studying, tutoring, and writing. He wrote influential political science and philosophy. Locke 's famous theory had to do with the Social Contract theory. The Social Contract covers the origin of government and how much authority a state should have over an individual.

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