How Did John Locke Influence The Enlightenment Thinkers

John Locke is an english Enlightenment philosopher that influenced Thomas Jefferson. Locke wrote The Two Treatises of Government to explain people’s rights and why the people should overthrow the government with kings as their leaders. The influence that Locke had on Thomas Jefferson is apparent through the way Jefferson drafted the nation’s founding document, The Declaration of Independence. John Locke’s ideas from his Two Treatises on Government heavily influenced Thomas Jefferson’s rationale for the propriety of America’s separation from England.

A famous English philosopher known as John Locke was one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment. His philosophy was based on the idea that certain rights are endowed upon people by nature and not dependent on the government; this philosophy is known as Natural Law. These rights are known as Natural Rights, and according to Locke they consist of life, liberty,

John Locke was one of the most well-known and popular philosophers and physicians of his time. He believed in natural rights and that the government should be a liberal government. He said that the citizens should have the right to go against the government if they violated their rights. His ideas and theories had a significant impact on the political philosophy of the time and influenced democratic systems of the world. He laid the foundation for the modern democratic principles and had major impact on the way people perceive the government and the rights of individuals now.

Scott Liell’s book 46 pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to Independence ultimately describes Thomas Paine’s life and showcases the struggles he went through and the outside forces that influenced him to write Common Sense. Liell’s book also expresses the importance of Common Sense, stating that it is the “single most influential political work in American history” (16). Paine was born and raised in England, in which the King and his monarchial rule would have evident influence in his later

England native political scholar and writer Thomas Paine molded large portions of the thoughts that developed the Age of Revolution. Created in 1776, his exceedingly famous "Common Sense" was the primary Guide to promote American freedom. In the wake of composing the "Crisis" papers through the American Revolution, Paine came back to Europe and offered his guard of the French Revolution with "The Rights of Man." His political perspectives prompted to a stretch in jail; after his discharge, he created his last extraordinary Pamphlets, "The Age of Reason," a composition of systematized religion, and "Agrarian Justice," a call for land change.

These rights included life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He also believed in having a limited government. His ideas had a great impact on the U.S. government and the Declaration of Independence. John Locke’s influence was evident in the Declaration of Independence when it said, “…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The colonists believed they had these unalienable rights, therefore the Americans established a government where people would be guaranteed these rights. The Americans believed that Britain was “deaf to the voice of justice.” Britain refused to respond to the outcries of the colonists. John Locke believed selfishness would always get in the way of acting morally, and Britain’s selfishness was blinding them from the suffering the colonists faced. The Americans developed a government that would listen to the people and let them have a

Thomas Paine was responsible for some of the most influential works of the revolution. Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was a very crucial part to America and its movement of independence from Britain. Paine was effective with his writings by being very plain. He wanted both farmers and officials to understand what he was talking about and be able to comprehend his ideas. Paine wanted to put his ideas out to the people of the American colonies so that they could understand it just by reading and not have to analyze and decipher what he was really trying to get across. He wanted to let the colonist know that there was no more room for talking about a split from English rule but it was time for the colonies to unite and take up arms against their British oppressors.

His writings had a great impact in the perception of the leaders of America. John Locke was an English philosopher who highly influenced the Founding Fathers. He highly believed in natural science and in the growing middle class and represented the principles of the Enlightenment. In an essay Locke wrote concerning human understanding in 1690, Locke denied the idea of native beliefs and argued that every individual is born with a blank mind and that it is the environment that shapes the individual. Thomas Hobbes 's belief that kings govern by divine power was rejected by Locke. He believed that every human being was born equal and that the surroundings in the environment was what molded everyone. Locke argued that people are blessed with some natural rights such as liberty, life, and property. Locke was the philosopher that exposed the concept of governmental checks and balances which later became the foundation for the U. S. Constitution.

John Locke liked freedom, he thought that freedom was good for the government. “...(W)e must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose [manage] of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature….” (Doc A) This states that Locke wants freedom but their comes consequences. To have this freedom men needed to create a government with a legislature and an executive. Locke’s main idea was people had rights.

The Enlightenment was a period of learning and expanding. It was a shift in society and how people thought. John Locke and his ideas contributed in a major way towards the Enlightenment. Locke had three main philosophies, religious tolerance, all men are born a blank slate, and that the divine right to rule is incorrect. His influence on society helped shape the transition of religion to reason & questioning. Locke left a very powerful and positive impact on England during the seventeenth century.

John Locke believed that everyone had a series of God-given rights—a natural moral law, and people gave rights to the government when it came to how they should be ruled. Locke is responsible for some of the most influential writings on liberty. His writings helped influence Thomas Paine’s ideas about revolution. James Madison, one of the writers of the bill of rights, was influenced greatly by Locke, and the French philosopher Voltaire called him “the man of great wisdom.”

John Locke was perhaps one of the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke discusses the move from a state of nature and perfect freedom to a then governed society in which authority is given to a legislative and executive power. His major ideas included liberalism and capitalism, state of nature, state of war and the desire to protect one’s property.

In 1748 he published On the Spirit of Laws which was a book describing his views on government. It goes into detail about how his idea of three branches of government and the separation of powers in the government would work. He also cites example of governments similar to his idea of separated powers. He also wrote about empires before his time and how their laws influenced many countries. He also pointed out what laws worked and the laws that were fair and just to the people. He also alluded to parts of earlier governments that demonstrated his ideas and thoughts.

Locke is best known for his philosophical ideals regarding the rights of humankind- all individuals have the right to life, liberty, and property.

John Locke became one of the founding fathers of the enlightenment, the foundation of liberalism and a highly influential