John Locke's Theories in The Declaration of Independence

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John Locke's Theories in The Declaration of Independence

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.

The second paragraph of the Declaration maps out Jefferson's beliefs on the equality of man and the natural rights we should all have endowed. He holds that, "it is self evident that all men are created equal," and that each man has certain natural rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He goes on to say that the role of the government, after being instituted my man, is to support and secure these rights for all the citizens. If however, the government is not providing the security that the citizens feel they need, Jefferson claims that they as a collection have the right to overthrow the existing government and create a new one that is founded on these principles of natural rights and equality.

When comparing Jefferson's arguments to those of Locke on this subject, the first and most obvious correlation is the wording of both. The preexistent natural rights, which Locke said were, "life, liberty and property," became with Jefferson, "life, liberty and ...

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...'s theory that man should have control over their lives and their choices within the limits that they do not prevent any other man from the right to life, liberty, and property. So, when Jefferson is arguing against Britain's laws such as the quartering of soldiers in citizens homes and the taxation of the colonies without representation in Parliament, he derives this argument from the chapter two, section four, of Locke's Second Treatise of Government. This section sets out the idea that freedom means not being under the control of another man and having the authority and power to do what one wishes with their lives and property. This concept of personal freedom that Locke stresses is often referred to as negative freedom. Section six then asserts that this is of course within reason and that personal freedom is constrained by the obligation to the laws of nature.

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