In both the Enlightenment and French Revolution there were many great ideas. In the Enlightenment there was Locke’s, Voltaire’s, and Montesquieu’s ideas. They were all great ideas about freedom, religion, and the 3 branches of government. Then in the French Revolution there was the Tennis Court Oath that had lots of great ideas also. But out of all of them Locke had the best ideas. Locke talked about freedom and equality which is mainly what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution talks about. In Locke it says “Sect.95. MEN being, as has been said, by nature, all free, equal, and independent…” That is saying that all men should be equal and be their own person and not be ruled by any other person. They want to be independent. Then in the Declaration of Independence says “…all men are created equal…” That says a little bit of the same thing. The Declaration of Independence could have taken this from Locke’s ideas. They both talk about the same thing. The Declaration toke ideas from Locke because he said want he wanted and wasn’t scared to say it. An example of the Constitution using Locke’s ideas was “Amendment 1- Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression.” This is saying that they should have freedom to say what they want to say and be able to express their religion. So the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution used Locke’s ideas. The Tennis Court Oath was a great idea. But if the Oath didn’t happen something else would have happen eventually because they really wanted a change. The 3rd estate was being treated really unfair. They were the poorest people in the town and they had to pay all the taxes and the 1st and 2nd estate didn’t have to pay anything. When the 1st and 2nd estate had money to spare and the... ... middle of paper ... ...tarted losing the power. This was his idea on how to split up the power. Montesquieu says “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty…” He is saying that if two branches are joined people can’t all have liberty. Although Montesquieu ideas were really important, someone would have came up with something. Whereas, Locke’s ideas were needed then to help the Declaration and the Constitution be where they are today. Why does this all matter? Well it matters because with none of this going on in history, the world wouldn’t be like what it is today. We don’t know what the world would be like. We could still be eating grass for all we know. If Locke didn’t come up with those ideas then the Declaration and the Constitution may be different. How would the world be today without history?
John Locke, one of the leading philosophers of the European Enlightenment was very important when it came to political thought in the United States. His ideas of the reasons, nature, and limits of the government became especially important in the development of the Constitution. In one of his most famous writings of that time, Two Treatises on Government (1689), Locke established a theory where personal liberty could coexist with political power ; meaning that the people would agree to obey the government and in return, the government would have the responsibility of respecting the people’s natural rights. In other words, he laid out a social contract theory that provided the philosophy and source of a governing author...
Jefferson’s language in the Declaration of Independence shows clear influence from Locke and his theory of Life, Liberty, and Property. Locke’s idea of government is one that sets out to protect these rights and once a government becomes more destructive than useful it is the right of the people to dissolve the government and start over from scratch. It can be seen that Jefferson’s view of government, through his criticisms toward the British Parliament, are in direct alignment with Locke’s.
John Locke’s ideas on creating a government by the people and Voltaire’s ideas on practicing any religion shows how many enlightenment philosophers wanted people to live peacefully with others and the society. The ideas of many philosophers helped shape the capitalist, democratic world in which we live today. Today's government was created with a legislative and executive branch, like what Locke suggested and women have more rights, such as getting education and jobs that are same as those of men. Enlightenment philosophers main ideas on increasing human rights and equality helped create a better society during the Enlightenment period and
The Declaration of Independence (1776) was written to proclaim the colonists’ independence from Great Britain and announce the rights of its citizens and the role of government, among other declarations. The most famous phrase “…all men are created equal”, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was a statement affirming that tyranny under the rule of King George III and the English Parliament would be met with opposition by the colonists who would protect their liberties in the new republic.
The Enlightenment itself ignited the changes in perspective that were needed to provoke improvement in society and set new standards for our future. These standards spread rather rapidly across Europe and eventually to America and challenged the old order. These ideas of rational thinking over religion and authority delivered a vast political change throughout the world which can still be felt today. These revolutionary thoughts of rationalism brought on freedom of speech and the demand for equality in society. This was not only the igniter to the French revolution but was also, how many governments including the United States based their modern
One of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers was John Locke, an English philosopher and physician. His work and ideas had a incomputable impact on modern day society. He was known as “Father of Liberalism” due to his opinions of freedoms and liberty. According to Locke, the people were entitled to have control over themselves as long as it adheres to the law. The Second Treatise on Civil Government by John
John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during 1632-1704. In political theory he was equally influential. Contradicting Hobbes, Locke maintained that the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance; all human beings were equal and free to pursue "life, health, liberty, and possessions." The state formed by the social contract was guided by the natural law, which guaranteed those inalienable rights. He set down the policy of checks and balances later followed in the U.S. Constitution; formulated the doctrine that revolution in some circumstances is not only a right but an obligation; and argued for broad religious freedom.
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
It has been said that the Declaration of Independence was more democratic and for equality and the Constitution was more for a republic that benefited only some people. The Declaration was idealistic the Constitution realistic. That 1776 gave us liberty and 1787 gave us order. Although as unfair as it may sound this seems to be true. After gaining liberty this country had to establish a system that would have order.
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
The Declaration of Independence was written to separate the American colonies from Britain, but there were many underlying goals. It was written to state the grievances that the colonists held against the British, particularly the king. The colonists wanted a better economy, a new republican government, but perhaps most of all, they simply wanted their misery to end. This is what they set out to explain in the document. John Adams described it as “a Declaration setting forth the causes which have impelled us to this mighty revolution, and the reasons which will justify it in the sight of God and man” (Friedenwald 182).
The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason. The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society.
The Enlightenment was a major influence of the French Revolution. The Enlightenment caused the revolution in three ways. First of all, the Enlightenment made people see how France was not a perfect society. It opened their eyes to the fact that France was helping other countries more. For example, the French government gave money to support the American Revolution while the people in their own country need money. Also, Voltaire who was an Enlightenment thinker caused uproar by the peasants upon his return to France when he announced that England was superior to France (Voltaire 7). Second, it made people skeptical about whether the government was there to fulfill their duty of protecting the people’s natural rights. The Enlightenment encouraged people to question divine right, the God-given authority rulers claimed to have (Enlightenment, Its Origins and the French Revolution 15). Finally, it made the third estate realize how the taxation was simply greed. It made their eyes open to the fact that...
Enlightenment, which can be defined as a time when philosophers emphasized the use of reason to understand truth as well as the emergence of the belief that the power of human knowledge and reason can improve human society. Its scholars shared a critical style, a commitment to open-mindedness, and hostility to authority. These ideas influenced the conditions that would result in the French Revolution because they gave people the notion that they should have representation in their government. One enlightenment idea that was incorporated into these events was inalienable rights. This was John Locke’s idea of life, liberty, and property for all people. This idea was included in France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man, which was the declaration that guaranteed protection from arbitrary arrest and the approval of the people to taxation. It endorsed free communication of ideas, but with the provision that this freedom was subject to legal restrictions against abuse. Another enlightenment idea was that people had the right to stand up for what they believed in. In the French Revolution, the French people revolted against their government and over-threw the monarchy because of the special treatment (such as tax exemptions and special privileges) given to the nobility and aristocratic classes. This proves that these idea’s were more than just words or philosophies but had real meaning in how people wanted to be treated, governed, and how they desire to live their lives. People would go so far as to risk their own lives and that of their families to ensure that they and future generations could live free and prosper.
Altogether, John Locke was recognized as a great political philosopher during his own lifetime, and his theories would spread across the world and influence countless other individuals, as well as nations themselves. The basic points of Locke’s system of government were that there should be a constitutional government, in which the power goes up. The people allow the ruler to govern, and it is with their consent that he is able to do so. But the one thing that makes Locke’s theory different is that society has the power to overthrow the government. Since a majority created it, they have the power to remove it.