How Did The Enlightenment Influence On America

Influence of Enlightenment Thinkers on America

Many people think that America’s founding fathers were the originators of revolutionary principals that America is based on. They give complete credit to men like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Gorge Washington to how America is today. But in reality, earlier enlightenment philosophers came up with the ideas. Enlightenment philosophers, such as John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu, where thinkers that started to judge and doubt the status quo of social structure, religion, and government in the 17th and 18th centuries. At the time these philosopher’s ideas were radical, and even considered senseless. Now because the founding fathers introduced these ideas into America, we see that these ideas work. The founding fathers used an incredible amount of ideas from enlightenment philosophers such as natural rights, separation of power, and consent of the governed.

Natural rights are a basic idea of America’s foundation.

America took the idea of natural rights mainly from John Locke. John Locke was an enlightenment philosopher born in the 1700’s that said that natural rights were “the right to life, liberty and property.” (Doc 1) He believed that all people should be entitled to certain rights that no one, including the government, can take away. The founding fathers used John Locke’s idea of natural rights in the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence, says “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness” in ("The Declaration of Independence and Natural Rights.") Although Thomas Jefferson and John Locke differ a little, they’re main message of natural right are the same. So, although the exact wording wasn’t the same they both believed in the same message of natural

rights.
Separation of Powers was coined by the French enlightenment philosopher Baron de Montesquieu. Separation of Powers is the idea to separate legislative, executive and judicial powers in the government. He thought it was in the people’s best interest to separate governmental power from just one person, like a monarchy. Montesquieu said “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person...there can be no liberty.”(Doc 2). America used this enlightenment idea in the Constitution. The Constitution states that the legislative powers are given to Congress, Executive to the President, and Judicial Powers to the Supreme Courts (Doc 5). America copied this idea from enlightenment thinkers like Baron De Montesquieu to have a balanced government.
The founding fathers also used an idea from the enlightenment thinkers that allows for a potential revolution at any time. Consent of the governed is the idea that if that the government is ran by the people and for the people, then the government has the responsibility to protect the natural rights of its citizens. “If it fails to do so the people may set up a new government” (John Locke Doc 1). America clearly used this idea from the enlightenment thinkers like John Locke because this idea is the Declaration of Independence. The declaration says “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”(“Celebrate America." Consent of the Governed.) The founding fathers also knew, like the enlightenment thinkers, that having a government ran by the people, for the people, and with a possibility for the people to, at any time, overthrow their government was the best way for the brand new America.
At the time of the enlightenment philosopher’s their ideas were radical. Radical enough that no country was willing to try them, until America did. But maybe these ideas of natural rights, separation of powers and consent of the governed waited so long to be instituted into a government was because America was the only one willing to try them. Regardless, the founding fathers of America should be thankful that the enlightenment philosophers thought of what they did, because it has made America to what it is today.