John Locke's Influence On The American Revolution

The American Revolution was a very memorable time for the United States of America, and all the citizens who were alive to witness this part of history. Many events happened during this period of time, two of which were the Stamp Act and the Tea Act. The Stamp Act of 1765 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain that required many printed materials in the colonies to be produced on stamped paper due to the direct tax on British colonies. The Tea Act of 1773 was another act of Parliament of Great Britain that reduced the massive surplus of tea. The Revolutionary War (1775-1783) was when the United States, which was considered the thirteen American colonies at the time, had armed conflict between Great Britain. The U.S finally gained their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, which is also considered Independence Day. The United States winning this war lead to the

signing of The Declaration of Independence which is a memorable moment that is a part of our nation’s history. This is the statement that was adopted by the Continental Congress that physically states that the thirteen American colonies that were at war with Great Britain are now independent sovereign states. The meeting was held at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776 and was written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Another main point of the Declaration of Independence was to hold 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 of Independence, Page 1). The American Revolution drew heavily on ideas that were presented by a very important philosopher named John Locke.
John Locke was one of the most influential philosophers to ever exist. His ideas still to this day are talked about among individuals, and have been used to come up with solutions to other upcoming problems. The Second Treatise of Government is presented by Locke in which he argues that all people are equal. He states how individuals are invested in a state of nature in which they live free from the outside world. This means that people have a natural right to hold property, and this can never be taken away from them unless they give consent (Locke’s Second Treatise Selection, Page 1). Since he believes that all people should be treated equal, the government exists for the people’s benefit and can be overthrown if it does not meet the citizens’ standards. He believes in a limited government that will protect people’s natural rights. Locke’s theories took place during The Scientific Revolution. This was a time in history that changed the way people thought about the physical world around them, and the basis for this revolved around the Scientific Method (Lecture, 9/8/2015). This uses observation and experimentation to explain theories about the universe, which is what all the philosophers at this time did, including Locke.
Another important philosopher during The Scientific Revolution was Jean Jacques Rousseau who wrote a book called The Social Contract. He states in this book his beliefs on how the government should be run by the will of the majority, which is called the general will. He states how political authority comes from a social contract that has been agreed upon by all citizens. The collecting grouping of citizens that he talks about in his book are referred to as the “sovereign.” This expresses the general will that aims for the common good, and it only has authority over issues that concern the public. He also makes it very clear that those who violate the social contract will result in the death penalty. Ideas that were created during the Enlightenment period helped stimulate people’s sense of individualism, and their belief in equal rights (Course Reading, Rousseau Social Contract). This also led to the American Revolution and the French Revolution based on the impact it had on citizens.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man set the foundation of the French Revolution, and in the history of human civil rights. Inspired by Enlightenment philosophers and in part by the American Revolution, this Declaration explained the values of the French Revolution and had a major impact on the citizens in Europe and worldwide due to the development of liberty and democracy. The French Revolution was an influential period in the history of France in which the monarchy was overthrown and radical restricting was forced among individuals who are a part of the Roman Catholic Church. The Declaration of the Rights of Man states seventeen articles that were approved by the National Assembly of France on August 26, 1789. The main focus of this Declaration is that men are born and remain free equal in rights, which is stated in the first article which sets the tone of the entire Declaration. (Declaration of the Rights of Man, Page 1).
Both the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man include ideas from John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Locke had a major influence upon the Founding Fathers because their main goal was to embody and improve learning of the ages, and they tried to do this with Locke’s view on issues. Locke’s theories were also being used when they were writing the Declaration of Independence because they used his ideas as a guideline when writing and coming up with new points to add. The Declaration of the Rights of Man includes one major thinker from the French Enlightenment, Jean Jacques Rousseau. His concept that the state represents the general will of all the citizens is a basis that is taken deeply into consideration when Marquis de Lafayette started to write this Declaration. This is how both of these philosophers relate back to both of these documents that were written. Both of these philosophers helped impact the world’s history in many ways, and should be remembers as well as both of the documents that were mentions which were huge turning points in history as

well.