Corinna Majorino Assignment 2 The Second Treatise on Government First set of Questions 1.) What was Locke’s view of humankind? Locke was an influential and intelligent thinker. Property and nature were highly recognized by Locke. That was more of his prized possession. He demonstrated the fight for rights and believed people were sovereign. Liberty rights, property rights and life rights. Locke believed that everyone should be treated equally. I a white person can do it, so can a black. If an African did it, so can an Asian. All rights were equal for everyone. Equality was a state of Locke’s that he tried to enlarge. No man was/is superior to another. He demonstrates freedom and individualism as well as regards to the bill of rights and …show more content…
These are your natural rights as a person. 3.) How did Locke influence Jefferson? Locke had influenced Jefferson in regards to the Declaration of Independence. Reasoning why is because of what Locke’s has stated on the natural rights to life, freedom, government, individualism, liberty and property. He explained how every man has their own freedom, self-sufficiency, property and their own individualism. Jefferson came to terms of being influenced by Locke’s proposal. 4.) Explain the famous quote. “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” The quote “We hold these truths to be self-evident” was part of the Declaration of Independence. It was said by Jefferson. This quote highly stresses how vital it is for all men to be equal. That means equal in life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Jefferson originated the theory from Locke and continued to make some additions. The legitimate government’s role is to protect “certain unalienable rights”. This would conclude life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some people over step the word happiness. It is not meant for you to feel self-satisfaction or cheerful daily. It is meant that you have lived your life to the fullest with …show more content…
What were the major tenets of mercantilism? What impact did mercantilism have on European countries as well as the United States? Use outside research to support your argument and be sure to site all of your sources. Do you see any similarities between Adam Smith and the writings of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau? Building a powerful a wealthy state is a nation purpose which is known as mercantilism. It states how power depends on wealth and vice versa. There are major tenets of mercantilism. One was to balance the trade of both gold and silver into the country which was used to maintain domestic employment. The term “mercantile system” was developed from Adam Smith. The system actually was extremely beneficial to the Western European dominate. It helped the trade operation by forming colonies from European countries. It stresses how encouraging exports and restraining imports have enriched the country as well as political economy. The goods traded were beneficial for the increase in
As you can see, labor and trade are the key importance to modern wealth. Production and trade are not just needed but are essential for a country to survive. Smith makes it ideal for countries to interact and trade. Trade means you get more directs workers into jobs in which they have a comparative advantage, which means more
The way that Jefferson structured The Declaration of Independence made the article extremely influential. Jefferson first starts by sharing his belief that governments and monarchies that do not represent the people. He then goes on to tell the rights that he believes all people should have all over the world. The rights he describes are simple and reasonable. From there his last line of that paragraph is “to prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid World.” Then he starts to describe the injustices done to the colonies by the English crown. His structure works well to persuade people because he does not start immediately accusing the king of all these injustices or with strong languages. Like all good speakers and authors, Jefferson starts off with a lightly worded statement about when a group of people should start a new government. He then transitions to a slightly stronger statement about human rights, and then he goes into his compelling injustices of the king. The injustices that he describes include “He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People. The Declaration of Independence is...
Smith is against mercantilism, which puts more government emphasis on exports than imports and typically puts high tariffs on imports. The goal of a nation, according to Smith, is to be wealthy, and that means to have plenty of affordable goods and services. To Smith, the best political order would be centered on the market. The goal would be to have a larger market so the citizens would be able to specialize more and increase production. It appears that Smith’s views on the type of political order are along the lines of what we consider capitalism today, and that Smith does not agree with the government involvement in citizen’s life. In this type of political order, the citizens profit from their product, and they also help others by hiring workers and paying rent on the property they are using. The success of the individual is determined by his or her wealth, and wealth is the amount of stuff an individual can buy with his or her money. To be a successful nation, all of the individuals have to be wealthy, and therefore the nation will be
In the United States' Declaration of Independence the founding fathers stated: "…held certain 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."
Locke talked about how people have the right to overthrow and unjust government and Jefferson also had this concept in the writing of the Declaration. The Declaration was created to explain why the colonies wanted independence from the British. The similarity between both the arguments is that Jefferson wanted to separate from a government that treated the people poorly “to dissolve the political bands” (Constitution) and Locke had the same idea that people need to get rid of the corrupt government. In the second part of the Declaration, Locke’s influence can be further seen when Jefferson states that “all men are created equal.” There is also another similarity between both the documents as Jefferson explains in the Declaration that all men have the rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Locke also emphasized this point except Locke believed that all men have the rights to life, liberty and property. Locke wrote earlier that revolutions are rare because most times the people do not feel that the government is abusing the power too much. However, in this case Jefferson explained that the rule of the British had a “history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States” (Constitution). In Locke’s writing he also explained that tyrants only care about their own needs and do not provide for the society. Therefore, Jefferson and the Americans had the right to overthrow the government because the government did not provide for the governed. Jefferson wrote a list of charges against the British rule to influence Americans into revolting. One of charges that Jefferson makes is that the King “has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good” (Constitution). This is important because Locke stated in his article explained
In a similar economic revolution, the colonies out grew their mercantile relationship with England and developed their own expanding capitalist system. The idea of a set amount of wealth in the world and that if one were to become wealthy, he or she had to take from someone who is already wealthy, is basically what mercantilism means.
John Locke's Second Treatise of Government and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence are two of the most significant texts of all time. Many countries around the world have used these texts as the foundation for their declaration of independence. These authors laid the base for the knowledge of the State of Natural Rights of human being which is the establishing bases of our government. We can understand that The Second Treatise of Government and the Declaration of Independence are very identical in their message, which clearly substantiate Locke's work influenced Jefferson. Unpredictably as it is, Jefferson has been suspect over the times for plagiarizing John Locke.
“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” (“Declaration”). These words, spoken by a wise and prominent man by the name of Thomas Jefferson, were greatly influenced by the Enlightenment’s most profound philosopher, John Locke. Since the beginning of Enlightenment to the 21st century, Locke’s ideas have been behind countless innovators, philosophers, and politicians; including our very own Founding Fathers. From being an enlightened philosopher to creating bold, new ideas, John Locke is the single most influential person in history because he helped establish the basis of modern philosophical empiricism, he was a staunch defender of the power of the people, and he contributed in the social shift into Enlightenment. In due to his superlative philosophies, John Locke successfully illuminated the corrupted 16th century and made way to a world revolved around the radical ideas of Enlightenment.
Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. 4th Edition. Edited by R.H. Campbell and A.S. Skinner. 1776. Reprint, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Jefferson expressed his concerns and disagreements with the king in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's main points focused on the lack of natural rights the colonists were granted. With the natural rights of the people removed the people and the government would not be able to function. When the king eliminated freedoms that colonists once had he stripped them of their grounds for life. Jefferson also focused on equality. He stated that all men were created equal and by equality he meant that all men (and women) rich or poor all had God given rights that no person should be able to restrict them from having.
Locke believes that everyone is born as a blank slate. According to Locke there is no innate human nature but human nature is something we create. And because we are born as an equal blank slate all men have the opportunity to create human nature therefore Locke believed all men are created equal. Unlike Bentham Locke believed that government needed to take a step back and allow for each individual to have the right to three things: life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The Governments role should not be in dictating people what to do but to allow individuals to their three
Adam Smith’s economic genius presented in The Wealth of Nations is stimulating because it proves that the economy is constantly changing, but is founded upon basic principles that consistently remain the same. One theme that is regularly reiterated in Smith’s The Wealth of Nations is that each country’s economy plays an important role in the global economy. For example, the idea of the division of labor and trade specialization suggests that each country should utilize its’ resources and citizens’ expertise in order to maximize productivity and gain through trade with other countries. It does not make sense for a country produce a product more expensively when it can simply trade with another country. In addition, the concepts of the invisible
The idea of mercantilism was for nations to export more than they important and accumulate gold or silver, but mainly gold, to make up the difference (Mercantilism, n.d.). At the heart of mercantilism was that by maximizing net exports that would lead them to the best route to national wealth (C.W., 2013). This started “bullionism”, the idea that the only way a person could measure a country’s wealth and success was by the amount of gold that had (C.W., 2013). The best way to achieve “bullionism” was by making fewer imports and much exports. By doing that they make a net inflow of foreign exchange and maximizing the country’s gold stock (C.W., 2013).
The biggest critic of the mercantilist system was Scottish philosopher, political and classical economist David Hume that in 1752, pointed out an intrinsic flaw in the doctrine proposed by mercantilism, later called specie-flow mechanism. The idea is that the trade surplus, the ultimate goal of mercantilists policies, and the accumulation gold and silver was unsustainable in the long run. He advocated the trade surplus, sets forces that tends to reverse itself. According to him. If a country has a surplus with another, the inflow of gold and silver would swell the domestic economy supply and culminate in inflation - there would be too much money for few goods, system operating in full capacity and money not being saved but kept circulating. In the other country, however, the outflow of gold and silver results in falling prices. The deficit country becomes more and more competitive, shifting the trade balance. That being said, Hume defended that a free flow of gold, would lead to an equilibrium in the balance of