Montesquieu And The Magna Cart The Roots Of Democracy

Many European philosophers influenced the thoughts of the founding fathers, who created the foundation of our country. Some of these people are : John Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Hobbes. Each of these people have origins in different countries of Europe, such as Switzerland and France. John Locke greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson in the writing of the declaration of independence when he wrote “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of land.” Thomas Jefferson then wrote in the declaration : “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Rousseau believed in a direct democracy where everyone would vote to express the general will and to make the laws of the land, which is what the United States does today. All of the philosophers were interested in a “state of nature”, which is when there is no government, rules, or laws. This could lead to people protecting their lives through conflict on a daily basis, and no one caring about others. All of the philosophers concluded that some form of government is better than none, even if it means giving up some rights by agreeing to a social contract.

In many groups, leadership is a quality that stands out the most. People tend to prefer the strongest

During the 18th century a European intellectual movement referred to as the Age of Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, shaped the Western world with the introduction of concepts such as natural rights and the separation of powers. These concepts influenced significant events in history such as the French Revolution, which later on inspired and influenced the American Revolution against Great Britain’s heavy taxation. Furthermore, these significant events introduced the foundations of an ideal government, which stemmed from the ideas of the philosophes of the Age of Enlightenment. For example, John Locke argued that the duty of a government was “to protect the natural rights of the people” ("Foundations of American Government"). Also, Montesquieu

the 17th and 18th centuries, the ideas of philosophers played a significant role in shaping the democratic revolutions that transformed the political landscape of Europe and America. John Locke and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most influential thinkers of this period. In this essay, we will compare and contrast the major ideas of these philosophers and their effects on democratic revolutions. Both philosophers come from different perspectives. However, this impacted the form of government, for example, in America, the constitution has “natural laws” which means laws that every human has, such as freedom of speech, religion, assembly, or petition to the government.

Cautiousness requires the government should not be easily put to the side. However, if a long train of abuses by the government are displayed to the people, it is their right to throw off the government and create a new government. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, exemplify many Enlightenment ideas such as John Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government, Rousseau’s idea of legitimate power comes from the people, and Hobbes’s Leviathan. John Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government is displayed when Jefferson said two things: that all men are created equal with certain rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it is the people’s right to abolish an abusive or destructive government and to institute a new government.

Enlightenment thinkers, also known as philosophers had a major impact on the American and French Revolution. Philosophers from the 1700s influenced the making of two documents known as United States’ Declaration of Independence and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. The Declaration of Independence is a document that was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. It reflects the beliefs of enlightenment philosopher, John Locke. Written in 1793 by Marquis de Lafayette, the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen was influenced by the beliefs of Voltaire, another Enlightenment thinker. John Locke didn’t like the idea of absolute monarchy. He favored the idea of self- government and equal rights. Locke believed that the

In addition, the age of the Enlightenment might have started in Europe, but the impact of its ideas found a population of people who were receptive and willing to adopt this ideas in America. The ideas of John Locke, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is seen in the United States Constitution , in which he professed new thought process about the relationship between government and citizens. The idea that authority comes from the people and that government should represent the rule of the people. Such ideas resonated profoundly in the hearts and mind of the American people till this day. The American Revolution inspired many societies around the world that one it is possible to break off from a monarchy.

Colin Dielmann Professor Abdale American Government 5 May, 2015 The Enlightenment Shaped Today The Enlightenment is a philosophical movement of the 17th and 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine. Enlightenment thinkers were influences by philosophers such as Galileo and Newton. They used reason as the key to human progress.

Classical organisational theorist defined leadership in terms of achieving a group’s objectives R.C Davies (1942) referred to leadership as “the principle dynamic forces that motivates and coordinates the organisation in the accomplishment of its objectives.” Similarly, Urwick (1953) stated that the leader is “the personification of common purpose not only to all who work under taking, but to everyone outside it.” K. Davies (1962) defined leadership as “the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals.” Cattell (1951) took the extreme position that leadership is whatever or whoever contributes to the group’s performance. To measure each members Leadership, Cattell noted, removed him or her from the group, one at a time, and observe what happens to the group’s performance. Calder (1977) and Pfeffer (1977) “stated that leadership is mainly influence and is even attributed to participants after the fact.

“I do not agree with a word you say but I will defend to my death your right to say it.” When Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, spoke these words during his lifetime, he had no idea that years later words very similar would be penned in a brand new country’s constitution. Nevertheless, his ideas became a reason why colonists fought for independence in the American Revolutionary War. This is just one small example of how the Enlightenment period came to influence the American Revolution and the formation of the American Government. Beginning around the time of the 18th century, the Enlightenment was an ‘enlightening’ or clarification of brand new ideas. However, the Enlightenment took the ideas that were discovered in the Scientific Revolution a step further, looking into how science applied to society and government. Like all of the other transformations that took place in Europe, Enlightenment ideals focused more on the aspect of reason than of religion. A couple of major thinkers that emerged from this time period were John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Locke proposed the idea of natural rights, and the idea that people have the right to revolt if they feel their government is not protecting their natural rights. This became very important in the development of America’s Government, and became a basis for why colonists wanted to declare independence from Great

The Enlightenment, a period in history, which consisted of advances in philosophy, society and politics, greatly affected the United States Constitution. John Locke, a key figure in the Enlightenment, published Two Treatises on Government in 1689. In it, he challenged the belief that monarchs receive their authority to rule directly from God. Locke stated that the government should receive its power from the consent of the people through the election process. This idea of popular sovereignty is included in the Constitution because as colonists, the citizens did not have a say in choosing representatives under British rule. In the Constitution, citizens have the right to vote,

The Enlightenment or the Age of Reason was a major influence in the American revolution. The Enlightenment was a cultural movement that began in Europe that promoted the power of reason in order to reform society and acknowledge intellectuals. His arguments concerning liberty and the social contract later influenced the written works of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers of the United States[8], Locke was coined the Father of Liberalism.[9] Locke stated that In a natural state all people were equal and independent, and everyone had a natural right to defend his “Life, health, liberty, or possessions,” which was later implemented in the American Declaration of Independence as, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”[10]

Montesquieu was a French philosopher during the time of the Enlightenment. His ideas of government center around three key ideas: virtue, equality and democracy. In 1721, he anonymously published the Persian Letters, which showed an anti-Catholic satirical portrayal of France. Through the eyes of two Persian travelers, this piece not only mocks the rule of Louis XIV, but also takes jabs at all social classes. Almost thirty years later, Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws, a book about English politics.

According to Daft (2008, p.20) leadership typically reflects the larger society, and theories have evolved as norms, attitudes, and understandings in the larger world of change. Throughout the centuries leaders have adapted in response to these changes. Northouse (2007, p3) defines leadership as a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. A person’s ability to

Leadership has been studied extensively and many varying definitions exist. Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (2015, p.4) review many of these definitions and consequently describe leadership as ‘the process of influencing an organised group towards its goals’. Leadership involves the interplay of a range of different factors, not least the leader themselves, the followers and the situation. For