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What Is John Locke's Response To The Declaration Of Independence

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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 …show more content…

Line-by-line, the connections can be seen by drawing comparisons to the text of the Second Treatise of Government. Starting with “all men are created equal,” Locke makes direct reference to his belief in the fundamental equality of all men in phrases such as, “obvious that creatures of the same species and status, all born to all the same advantages of nature and to the use of the same abilities, should also be equal in other ways, with no-one being subjected to or subordinate to anyone else” (Locke 8). This equality of people creates a “relation of equality between ourselves and those who are like us” (Locke 9), such as our fellow citizens. Each citizen thus has the same political power, despite differences in property and

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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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By using The Declaration Of Independence ans Jefferson's letter about Shay's Rebellion I can prove that Thomas Jefferson would likely support modern day protest. In the letter it states, "What country before ever existed without a rebellion." This supports my claim because he supports that there was no country in the world that didn't have any kind of disagreement. According to The Declaration Of Independence it states, "...all men are created equal." This also supports my claim because if all men are created equally then people would have the right to say what is on their mind.

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I have come up with the conclusion that Thomas Jefferson would likely support modern day protests. I did this using text evidence from the Declaration of Independence and his letter on Shays’ rebellion. It is shown in both documents that he clearly supports, and encourages opposing views. In the Declaration of Independence it states, “…whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to abolish it...”. He also says, “…it is their right,

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“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” (U.S.). This quote, from the Declaration of Independence, is probably one of the most well-known quote there is. It speaks of man’s right to be free and equal of any one man out there. As we have all learned in our history class back in junior high, the Declaration of Independence was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson to explain why the colonies wanted independence from Great Britain. This document is a list of complaints by the English colonists’ against King George III.

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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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Within the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson discusses the simple fact that governments are created to secure the rights of

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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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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

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INTRODUCTION “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights. That among these [rights] 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.” - Thomas Jefferson, Declaration Of Independence 1776

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The main teaching of the Declaration centers on defining the equality and natural rights of man. It is against the rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that the Declaration weighed the actions of the British, and reached the conclusion that declaring independence was justified. The right to life essentially means that a free, independent man has the right to protect his own life. The Founding Fathers accused George III of Britain of violating this right in several clauses, at one point stating he “destroyed the lives of our people.” The right to liberty means that each man is at liberty to follow their own will in all things that the natural law has not prohibited.

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Declaration of Independence has brought new hopes in the life of colonies. It explored and enhanced the inner potential of the colonies to raise their voice against the injustice and suppression given by the tyrannical government. They learned that the government had to preserve the rights of public. In the failure by the Government to protect the rights of public, the public had to grasp their right by going against the Government and over throwing the rude rulers. As a result, the revolutionary activities arose and thirteen states declared independence in 1776.

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Responses When locke talks about freedom, he is referring to the unspoken trust between government and civilian. This bond is known as Government legitimacy, a concept in which the government provides security and protection, and in return the people give up some of their rights and freedoms to allow for government jurisdiction. This quote metaphorically represents punching the government in the nose, or revoking of any form of governmental control. When Locke says that freedom ends at the tip of his nose, what he means is that once you throw the first punch, the government is under no obligation to continue to give you anything.

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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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On July 4, 1776, the colonies document “the Declaration of Independence” was published in the United Kingdom which is a work of Thomas Jefferson became the most important document at that time because it marks the moment when the American imperialism became independent of British domination. The Declaration of Independence is based on the ideas of a 16th century English philosopher, John Locke. Confirmed national rights and human rights are inextricably linked with each mention of human rights as a necessity of nature: “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.” (The Declaration of Independence,Thomas Jefferson ); Thus, in the case of the Constitution, the state administration, which represents the president, will clarify his role in the government that to preserve the rights of citizenship, freedom, and more importantly is to bring profits to the United States: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:- “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.””

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