Classical Liberalism And The Enlightenment

John Locke stated that all men are naturally in a perfect freedom as their Natural rights. Quoting Locke's words stating “creatures of the same species and rank should be equal amongst others without subordination or subjection.” A philosopher who believed in Natural rights for all men and women lived 1632-1704 in England, his expression of revolutionary ideas such as Natural rights and the Social contract later

Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which gradually formed into the liberal ideology of the 19th century. Individuals that were waiting to get their individual rights and freedoms were allowed to finally gain liberty and power through this period of time. Classical liberalism developed

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

In his Second Treatise on Government Locke focus’ on liberalism & capitalism, defending the claim that men are by nature free and equal against the idea that God had made all people subject to a king. He argued that people have ‘natural rights’, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that hold the foundation for the major laws of a society. He says, “…we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit.” (2nd Treatise, Chapter 2, sec 4). John Locke used this claim, that all men were naturally free and equal, for understanding the idea of a government as a result of a social contract. This is where people in the state of nature transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better guarantee the steady and comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property.

the claim to the Crown, and he believed that individuals held the right to revolt against a

The Enlightenment was the root of many of the ideas of the American Revolution. It was a movement that focused mostly on freedom of speech, equality, freedom of press, and religious tolerance. The American Revolution was the time period where America tried to gain its independence from England. They got influenced very much from many philosophers. That will be discussed throughout the essay. The Enlightenment ideas were the main influences for American Colonies to become their own nation.

John Locke was born in 1632, in Wrington, England. He studied medicine at the University of Oxford, but he eventually became the great philosopher everyone remembers him as (Connolly, n.d.). In 1688, King William III, supported by the Whigs, took the throne of England from King James II in what is known as the Glorious Revolution (UK Parliament, n.d.). Locke had a strong connection with the Whigs in England, so he wrote the Second Treatise on Government as a justification for the revolution. Throughout the Second Treatise on Government, Locke claims that an individual is born with the rights to “life, liberty, and property.” He believes that it is the governments purpose to preserve these rights with laws which favor neither the rich nor poor. In addition, these laws must be designed for “the good of the people.” Lastly, “[the government] must not raise taxes on the property of the people, without the consent of the people…” (Locke, 1688)

The Enlightenment is said to have begun in the 1680’s, the same decade that the “Glorious Revolution” occurred, which crowned daughter of James II Mary and her husband Prince William of Orange Monarchs of England. This turning point in English history can be considered part of the Enlightenment due to the switch from an Absolute Monarchy to a Constitutional Monarchy and the passing of the English Bill of Rights in 1689 after William’s ascension to the throne.

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.”

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.

The Enlightenment era was a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Even though different philosophers approached their goal differently, they achieved it none the less. They all approached their goal differently due to their different upbringings, their different backgrounds, and most importantly their different environments. A few among the many enlightened thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron Do Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. While some of their idea’s are not used in modern society, they were all instrumental to the modern society we live in today.

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,

Locke defended the belief that individuals are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property in the “Two Treatises of Government” and used it to support the idea of a social contract between the people and the authority. He believed that to maintain a stable and safe society, the people should resign some of its power to its government. Since the legitimacy of the ruler is assigned by the governed they have the right to replace the government if it fails to protect the welfare of the people. His radical thinking ignited revolutionary thoughts that led to the American Revolution and consequentially to the French Revolution. He inspired the founding fathers to create the United States of America, a government based on Locke’s political philosophies like the inalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness in the Declaration of Independence or the concept of three branches of government that would keep each other balanced in the

John Locke was an crucial philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment, he held the opinion that all men were born equal, and who they would become depended on their environment. This principle may sound familiar because it was one of the ideas touched upon by Thomas Paine's, Common Sense which later influenced Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers.Thomas Jefferson inserted his principles into the Declaration of Independence,"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." (Jefferson 1). Although it might seem like "Common Sense" that all men are born equal now, that was not the case at the time of its conception , it was infact common belief that people like the king were above all others at birth. The idea that all men are created equal backed up the idea that the government should be made and work for the people living within it and that all men should have basic inalienable rights

John Locke was the man who began to express the idea of natural rights. The idea of natural rights is that all humans are born with three natural rights: life, liberty, and property. You are meant to respect these rights, which gives us limits as humans. For example, one can not just rob someone’s house without consequences. If someone does commit theft they are punished because they are