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John Locke affect on America
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John Locke, amongst other things, was a 17th century political philosopher who became renowned for his beliefs in the state of nature, natural law and the inalienable rights of man; often being referred to as the ‘Father of Liberalism’. At their time of writing, Locke’s ideas were considered to be revolutionary thoughts in an extremely conservative world; in which absolute power commonly ruled over the masses and where inequality simply went unchallenged. John Locke’s theories were paramount in both the Glorious Revolution and the American Revolution, and there are numerous reasons as to why this is so.
Locke’s views on the state of nature inspired people to believe that every man, woman and child is born with select natural rights which should not be supressed or abused by a form of government. Governments, after all, have been placed in their positions of sovereignty at the consent of the people in order to protect these natural rights; this is known as a social contract. If a government breaks this contract, the people have a right of revolution – meaning that they can actively dissolve the previous form of government and they may choose to create a new one which performs its intended functions much more efficiently. In both revolutions, the people claimed that their governments were breaking their side of the social contract by abusing their powers and obstructing the rights to life, liberty and property. Therefore, the reasons behind both revolutions can be found in a hatred of absolute power and a belief in unconditional human rights – particularly the obstruction of property rights.
Locke claims the state of nature exists in a non-political society, where men are free individuals who are bound by no government or poli...
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...e’s philosophies were vital in creating a new era of thought, where personal liberties triumphed over the desires of a king – hence, the revolution was born.
Works Cited
Locke, John ‘Two Treatises of Government’ (1698), in John Locke; A Critical Edition with an Introduction and Apparatus Criticus edited by Peter Laslett (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1967).
Freeman, M.D.A. (1994) Lloyd’s Introduction to Jurisprudence. 6th Edition, London: Sweet & Maxwell LTD.
Madison, J. (1788) Federalist No. 7. Federalist Papers: From the New York Packet. Available online at: http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm
Commons Journal, (1688/89), as cited in Lucinda Maer and Oonagh, The Bill of Rights 1689 Parliament and Constitution Centre, Available at: Gahttp://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-00293.pdf
In Second Treatise of Government John Locke characterizes the state of nature as one’s ability to live freely and abide solely to the laws of nature. Therefore, there is no such thing as private property, manmade laws, or a monarch. Locke continues to say that property is a communal commodity; where all humans have the right to own and work considering they consume in moderation without being wasteful. Civil and Political Societies are non-existent until one consents to the notion that they will adhere to the laws made by man, abide by the rules within the community, allow the ability to appoint men of power, and interact in the commerce circle for the sake of the populace. Locke goes further to state that this could be null in void if the governing body over extends their power for the gain of absolute rule. Here, Locke opens the conversation to one’s natural right to rebel against the governing body. I personally and whole heartily agree with Locke’s principles, his notion that all human beings have the natural right to freedoms and the authority to question their government on the basis that there civil liberties are being jeopardized.
Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2002.
When looking at the Declaration of Independence and the justifications which Jefferson used in order to encourage the dissolve of the ties between the United Colonies and Great Britain, it becomes apparent how much of the theories of John Locke that Jefferson used as the basis for his argument. Focusing particularly on the second paragraph of the Declaration, the arguments for the equality of each man and the formation and destruction of governments come almost directly from Locke's Second Treatise of Government. The other arguments in the Declaration of Independence deal primarily with each citizen's rights and the natural freedoms of all men, two areas that Locke also spent much time writing on.
Locke believed that the role of the government was to protect property and resolve disputes through administrative justice or by creating legislation. The government would be created through the consent of the people. Locke believed that freedom in the state was “having the liberty to order and use your property and to be free from the arbitrary will of another.” No one person can claim divine right to rule, because there is no way to determine if that person is actually divine or not. If government is not fulfilling their duty, the people have a right to overthrow it (i.e. revolution; was a major influence for American revolutionaries). For Locke, law is enlightening and liberating to humans. “law manifests what’s good for everybody.” The key reason for political society is for men to improve land. Locke believes men have mutual interest in coming together to protect land. Men must enter an agreement because there are a few bad apples, though not everyone is bad. If these few apples can be dealt with, their impact can be
In Locke’s essay, Book II called Second Treatise he explains his philosophical approach to the state of nature and how men are bound to a social contract giving consent to the government to protect their unalienable rights.
Providing the 17th century world with an alternative, innovative view on philosophy, politics, economics, and education among other interrelated and important aspects of life, John Locke proved to be a person of immense impact. Born in 1632, in Wrington, England, Locke was the author of many known writings which include the Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), The Two Treaties of Government (1698), A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), and Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) (Goldie 32). Locke’s writings represent a series of topics involving the purpose of philosophy, the emergence of empiricism, and the role as well as limits of governments and churches in terms of liberty and natural rights. In a time where exposure of such controversial ideas would jeopardize the well-being of an author, it is no wonder that Locke postponed the publishing of his writings until after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. However, what impact did Locke’s ideas have on philosophy?
What John Locke was concerned about was the lack of limitations on the sovereign authority. During Locke’s time the world was surrounded by the monarch’s constitutional violations of liberty toward the end of the seventeenth century. He believed that people in their natural state enjoy certain natural, inalienable rights, particularly those to life, liberty and property. Locke described a kind of social contract whereby any number of people, who are able to abide by the majority rule, unanimously unite to affect their common purposes. The...
John Locke explains the state of nature as a state of equality in which no one has power over another, and all are free to do as they please. He notes, however, that this liberty does not equal license to abuse others, and that natural law exists even in the state of nature. Each individual in the state of nature has the power to execute natural laws, which are universal.
Locke believes that state of nature is pre-political but at the same time it is not pre-moral. He believes that everyone i...
Another cause of the French Revolution was the rise of new political ideas. At the time, new ideas were introduced and spread. People began questioning the world, using reason and logic to find a truth. This time era of is now referred to as the Age of Enlightenment. Many of the philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment centralized their ideas on how the political structure of a country should be. According to Article 2 of the Declaration of Rights of Man, “The aim of all political association is to preserve the natural and unalienable rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, and security and resistance to oppression.” The idea of men having natural rights came from an Enlightenment philosopher named John Locke. He spread the belief
From this new movement of thought came two of many men with the most influential thoughts of all time. Thomas Jefferson and John Locke restructure civil and political society, according to their principles, they became visionaries of a new government established on the prominence of human nature and an enlightened society. (cite 1) Locke and Jefferson wrote documents proclaiming Freedom for all. Locke stated man should have a natural right to life, liberty, and property, and Jefferson stated, mankind had inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
During the 1700s, the Enlightenment had brought an increasing amount of new ideas about how the government should be operating in relation to those people of respective communities. It was these Enlightenment thinkers of this time that brought drastic new ideas to light. They were men like Denis Diderot who discussed ideas about “natural law”and questioned the authority allegedly given to the kings by God. He wrote that “[people] have the most sacred natural right to everything that is not disputed by the rest of the species”. Or there was Abbe Raynal, who communicated that “natural liberty is a right granted by nature to every man”. Thinkers like these two men were leaders in the Enlightenment age, who would eventually influence not only people all over Europe but those in colonies like America and Saint-Domingue...
Locke used the arguments that a government is nothing if it is not supported by the power of its citizens. He argued that the citizens of the government were not well represented in the government so it was justified to be overthrown. This is what he thought about the overthrowing of King James of England in 1688. Locke argued that if the people in a country were to dissolve then the government in that country will also dissolve. He saw a country as a big group of people with similar views. He talks about how society decides to act as a whole group. When they split apart is when society becomes different groups and the government then falls. Many colonists were from England and witnessed or knew about the Glorious revolution and felt like they were mistreated the same way the people of England did at that time. Locke’s ideas played a major role in influencing the colonists to realize they were not being treated fairly and they had a right to fight for freedom to create their own
John Locke According to John Locke 's Theories Two Treaties of Government (1690), he believed that every person was born free and equal in which he calls the State of Nature. Although people are free however, they cannot do whatever they want. Governing the State of Nature is the Law of Nature. The Law of Nature states that we must preserve ourselves and other people and we all have the right to unalienable rights. These rights include “life, liberty, and property”. Locke states that the government should not conflict with those rights in any way. Locke claims that in order for a government to be legitimate, must have a foundation based upon collective consent and
During the 17th century, most countries were being ruled by a single monarch. There was no power given to the common people of society. Thus, many common people were subjected to the abuse of a monarch’s power. John Locke was an important philosopher at this time because he saw a vision that was not traditionally talked about or expressed before. John Locke describes his ideal society in his book The Two Treatises of Civil Government: