Similarities and Differences Between the Origin of Civil Society and Declaration of Independence

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an Enlightenment thinker during the eighteenth century and is most noted for his work The Social Contract. The Social Contract published in 1762 and is a philosophical document that expresses the ideas of popular sovereignty. Popular Sovereignty is a form of government in which “the doctrine that sovereign power is vested in the people and that those chosen to govern, as trustees of such power, must exercise it in conformity with the general will.” This is basically a fancy way of saying that the people have the power of authority of their government and the people should decide how they are governed. Like The Social Contract, the Declaration of Independence is a document that sets out to explain the relationship between a government and its people based on an an understanding of that relationship. The Declaration of Independence was composed by Thomas Jefferson in 1766, and shares many of the same ideals as The Social Contract. The Social Contract and the Declaration of Independence are more similar than different because Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced John Locke, whose Social Contract Theories directly influenced Thomas Jefferson during the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in

The bill of right and the declaration of independence have so many things that are similar but also some that are different, the declaration was the cause, mostly him complaining for the people and himself, it was more a letter to the king. the bill of rights is the effect, it was after everything happen that we got the bill of right for us to be able to be free to express ourselves however we want either by laws, trades, or even taxes or how we even talk, if we didn’t have this important documents in life the world would still be a mess and maybe there would even be slavery and cruelty against one another but because we have rules and we have amendments we are organize and we are able to sleep in a bed freely and without worrying about protection or anything. It took years for everyone to get where we are so we have to take advantage.

Few documents through American history have withstood the test of time and have become statement pieces for our society. In this group, the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and Common Sense by Thomas Paine both hold high positions. Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis”, which was a chapter in his pamphlet Common Sense, which advocated that the thirteen original colonies gain independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was a government document written in 1776 that proclaims America a state of democracy not connected to Britain. Although they share a general topic, both feature a wide range of similarities and differences to each other. These similarities include the times they were written, similarities in the

In the opening of the “Declaration of Independence,” Jefferson lays out several main themes that reflect Rousseau's concepts. Jefferson borrows from Rousseau's thinking on equality and freedom when writing, "We hold these truths to be

Finally, towards the end of the Declaration, Jefferson wrote that they were “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World, for the Rectitude of our Intentions…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Again, the similarity to Locke is found. “Wherein the appeal lies only to Heaven, and in that state the injured party must judge for himself” (Locke 1690, XIX, 242). Thus, men “unite for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties, and estates” (Locke 1690, IX, 123).

Lafayette took several of Jefferson’s suggestions during the making of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Because they collaborated during the making of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, both of the documents are close in similarities. The two declarations both set out to accomplish two very different goals, but they both overlap with some of the same ideas and concepts. Both documents were based around Enlightenment ideas. America and France alike shared ideas from John Locke. John Locke stated that people have the natural right to life, liberty, and property. If the government doesn’t give the people these things, the people have the right to rebel. Both of these documents outline the conditions that must be met by the leaders of the nations and both of the documents specify exactly what the people want. Last but definitely not least, both of these documents secured liberty for their

Natural Rights (Locke) appear in the declaration of Independence as "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Jean Rousseau developed the idea of the social contract and the notion of replacing a government that fails to maintain consent is cited as justification for the American Revolution against the English.

Both John Locke and Thomas Jefferson believe that people have certain natural rights and that it is the government’s job to protect these rights. Their documents were both written for revolutions, although they were two very different revolutions. Ultimately, a revolution in Europe influenced Locke to write the Second Treatise on Government. The Second Treatise on Government was important because it influenced the way many later philosophers would view government. One philosopher influenced by Locke was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence used the same philosophy as Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, but it also held great significance in that it was the first time a group of colonies had successfully separated from a world power like Great Britain.

The Declaration of Independence uses many of the beliefs that are central to Locke’s Two Treaties of Government, which are all still very important to us today. Beliefs such as all people are equal, their natural rights, and the government’s role in its citizens lives was the foundation to building the United States the world knows today. The focal points in their two documents are almost exactly the same; Locke emphasizes people’s natural rights in the statement “that being all equal and independent, no one ought to hurt ones life, liberty, or property", while Jefferson highlights them by saying “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." It is commonly speculated that Jefferson’s first draft of Declaration of Independence actually copied Locke verbatim by saying “life, liberty, and property”, rather than “pursuit of happiness”. While this has never been proven, it shows how Jefferson utilized Locke’s ideas.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are two significant documents that transformed the history of the United States. The people of the “New World” went from being ruled by British law and living in the thirteen colonies, to becoming an independent nation with a democratic government. The Declaration was written to ensure that all official ties with its mother country, Great Britain, were suspended indefinitely. It then went on to describe the concepts and ideologies behind a just and fair government. The Constitution, however, outlined how the newly democratic government would operate. In 1776, after the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, a verdict was made that the only constructive way to ensure independence as a nation would be to declare independence from King George III, Parliament, and Great Britain. The colonists sought to fashion a clear, detailed document, known as the Declaration of Independence, which stated why the people chose to move in this direction as well as providing several arguments to support their case. This world-renown document is a symbol of the unity between the 13 colonies during their fight for independence during the American Revolutionary War.

One of the primary sources that demonstrates the global influences of the Atlantic revolutionary movements and Enlightenment views on human rights is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. This primary source was written by the French National Assembly including Marquis de Lafayette during the French Revolution. Thomas Jefferson served as an ambassador to France and also helped write the majority of the American Declaration of Independence. Because of Jefferson, the French and American declarations were quite similar. During all of the Atlantic revolutions, areas were trying to implement basic human rights for all equal men. The French declaration states that public misfortune and government corruption is caused by ignorance and neglect. With that

The United States Constitution and The Declaration of Independence are two of America 's most famous documents that laid the foundation for it 's independence as a nation and separation from British rule. The following paper will compare these two documents and decipher the difference of the two.

Lots of gentlemen with suits gathered in a large meeting room ,bench of peoples standing as well, some peoples were sitting, but all of them was up to the same important idea . Visually, dedicated honor in supporting of independence. It was the biggest moment for the US in which will be known as the period of time where the county was found.

When looking at the Declaration of Independence and the justifications which Jefferson used in order to encourage the dissolve of the ties between the United Colonies and Great Britain, it becomes apparent how much of the theories of John Locke that Jefferson used as the basis for his argument. Focusing particularly on the second paragraph of the Declaration, the arguments for the equality of each man and the formation and destruction of governments come almost directly from Locke's Second Treatise of Government. The other arguments in the Declaration of Independence deal primarily with each citizen's rights and the natural freedoms of all men, two areas that Locke also spent