John Locke's Influence On The Founders

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From there, John Locke took over the influences. For Locke, the State of Nature was also a “State of perfect Freedom… and of Equality” (Locke, pg. 269, para. 4). The land was held in common, and every man had the universal right to use whatever he needed as long as he was not wasteful with the resources. However, Locke asserted that this liberty was not license as there was a natural law, one superior to any form of human legislation, which reigned in the freedom of man (Locke, pg. 270, para. 6). Nature demanded that one preserve themselves above all else and preserve the lives of others. One could not “harm another in his Life, Health, Liberty, or Possessions” (Locke, pg. 271, line. 9). From there, property entered society. Once man put his labor into the land and gave it value, it became his and his alone (Locke, pg. 291, para. 33). The acquisition of this land prevented wastefulness and instead fostered the creation of …show more content…
It can be argued that none were as great as John Locke. Through his Second Treatise of Government, the Framers of the United States were able to construct a Union that would prosper for years after their deaths. They managed to compose a document that withheld the test of time through unforeseen circumstances. However this was also thanks in part to the influence of Thomas Hobbes. Without Leviathan paving the way first, many ideas drawn on by the Founders and Locke, things like the Social Contract, the equality of man, and the consent of the people would not have been as fully developed. The hints of his national sovereign could be seen in the executive branch and helped to ensure that the President would remain energetic and independent. By combining the instructions of the two philosophers, America found itself in the sweet spot between universal licentiousness and absolute

John Locke Dbq

world. The persons who had the largest impact on political thinking in Europe during the 1500-1700s are Thomas Hobbs, John Locke, and Adam Smith. Thomas Hobbs, like the other two men, is considered as one of the founders of political philosophy. Potentially Hobbs' largest contribution towards political thinking was his book Leviathan that addressed…

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John Locke John Locke would change the thinking of many, and one day even shape the Declaration of Independence. He was quite a interesting thinker for his time, being that many were doing the exact opposite of what he was writing in his many essays and books. This showed John Locke had a determination to get his ideas out and maybe one day someone would follow. In Wrington Somerset England, Locke was born on August 29th, 1632. His education proved quite strong for he went to many prestigious…

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Jada Lewis World History Coach Mac B1 September 27,2013 Enlightenment Some of the famous philosophers who wrote works on their social and political philosophies were Thomas Hobbes, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. These political philosophers each had unique views of the human race and how it should be disciplined to create the best society. These philosophers not only profoundly influenced European views and history, but also that of America, where the…

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The American Revolution was predicated by a number of ideas and events that, combined, led to a political and social separation of colonial possessions from the home nation and a coalescing of those former individual colonies into an independent nation. Summary The American revolutionary era began in 1763, after a series of victories by British forces at the conclusion of the French and Indian War (also, Seven Years War) ended the French military threat to British North American colonies. Adopting…

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reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students…

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What Were The Basic Ideals Of The Enlightenment And Revolution

They sought to fashion a fair and equitable society by instituting governments that were responsive to the needs and interests of the peoples they governed. Popular sovereignty, Individual Freedom, and political and legal equality What were John Locke’s main ideas? Rulers derived their authority from the consent of those whom they governed. If subjects withdrew their consent they had the right to replace their rulers. Sovereignty vested in the people of a society. What were the basic ideals…

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