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Constitution I. Which Founding Father Are You? Thomas Paine. This was the period during the 17th and 18th centuries when thinkers turned to reason and science to explain both the physical universe and human behavior.
Those like Jefferson thought that by discovering the "laws of nature" humanity could be improved. Jefferson did not invent the ideas that he used to justify the American Revolution. He himself said that he had adopted the "harmonizing sentiments of the day.
As a man of the Enlightenment, Jefferson was well acquainted with British history and political philosophy. He also had read the statements of independence drafted by Virginia and other colonies as well as the writings of fellow revolutionaries like Tom Paine and George Mason. In composing the declaration, Jefferson followed the format of the English Declaration of Rights , written after the Glorious Revolution of Most scholars today believe that Jefferson derived the most famous ideas in the Declaration of Independence from the writings of English philosopher John Locke.
Locke wrote that all individuals are equal in the sense that they are born with certain "inalienable" natural rights. That is, rights that are God-given and can never be taken or even given away. Among these fundamental natural rights, Locke said, are "life, liberty, and property.
Locke believed that the most basic human law of nature is the preservation of mankind. To serve that purpose, he reasoned, individuals have both a right and a duty to preserve their own lives. Murderers, however, forfeit their right to life since they act outside the law of reason. Locke also argued that individuals should be free to make choices about how to conduct their own lives as long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others.
Locke therefore believed liberty should be far-reaching. By "property," Locke meant more than land and goods that could be sold, given away, or even confiscated by the government under certain circumstances.
Property also referred to ownership of one's self, which included a right to personal well being. Jefferson, however, substituted the phrase, "pursuit of happiness," which Locke and others had used to describe freedom of opportunity as well as the duty to help those in want.
The purpose of government, Locke wrote, is to secure and protect the God-given inalienable natural rights of the people. For their part, the people must obey the laws of their rulers. Thus, a sort of contract exists between the rulers and the ruled. But, Locke concluded, if a government persecutes its people with "a long train of abuses" over an extended period, the people have the right to resist that government, alter or abolish it, and create a new political system.
Jefferson adopted John Locke's theory of natural rights to provide a reason for revolution. He then went on to offer proof that revolution was necessary in to end King George's tyranny over the colonists. Since , no words in the Declaration of Independence have received more attention than Jefferson's phrase, "All men are created equal. The division of power in the constitution and checks and balances are a reflection of his philosophy.
The ninth and tenth amendments largely ignored today reserved power and functions undesignated to the federal government to the states and the people. This was to prevent to much power residing the federal government. Rousseau believed in the fundament goodness of people and that the best government was the least government.
That people left to themselves would do what is right. The articles of confederation took his ideas to the extreme and they didn't work. There is still a focus in our constitution and governmental philosophy to limit the power and scope of government.
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