John Locke Declaration Of Independence

In the opening section of the Declaration of Independence, it is stated that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are people in the United States created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). While many are familiar with the phrase "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness," it is important to understand the origin of this phrase and what the phrase is specifically defining (Jefferson). Put simply, the unalienable rights decreed in the Declaration of Independence are a set of rights that everyone is granted equally at birth. These unalienable liberties encompass the most significant and fundamental principles of humanity, and the …show more content…
Prior to the creation of the Declaration of Independence, philosopher John Locke determined a similar set of human rights in his Second Treatise. Locke states that "because we are all equal and independent, no-one ought to harm anyone else in his life, health, liberty, or possessions” (Locke). Using this definition of rights, Locke details the importance of the human instinct to engage in practices or societies that facilitate the protection of liberties. All in all, Locke’s ideology provided the foundation for the rights determined in the Declaration of Independence and, subsequently, in sections of the Constitution by defining what basic human rights were, and, equally importantly, the relation of those rights to government. In class, we discussed the significance of fundamental rights to government by noting that the United States government and its laws should serve as a shield to protect its citizens' unalienable rights. Locke touches on this concept when he notes that, "though men who enter into society give up the equality, liberty, and executive power they had in the state of nature. .

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