The And Its Impact On Society

These newspapers suggested that the Catholic Church, as well as the British Parliament, had a hidden agenda of destroying the freedoms the colonists had created for themselves. These suspicious attitudes led to the creation of republicanism, or the idea that government authority was conditional and must be limited by the people. Under this institution, the governed people would have the opportunity to rebel against their government if they feel they are abusing their powers. This idealism would be taken into account during the creation of the Constitution. The American people agreed that republicanism would fit well in their society, though they knew they must gain independence from the British tyrants first.

Some of the leaders of the American Revolution were influenced by Enlightenment ideas which are, freedom of speech, equality, freedom of press, and religious tolerance. American colonists did not have these rights, in result, they rebelled against England for independence. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote about American's natural rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These ideas came from the Enlightenment, the ideals led towards the American Revolution soon after (Fisk). "The American Revolution must be considered as an anticolonial war for independence, not only a war of liberation from overseas rule but a war for freedom. The American Revolution was a movement to fulfill aspirations to acquire more property" (Morris, 3).

Early Great Britain’s influence on the New World gave way for developing colonies. Being supportive of laws, the British passed on their methods of freedom to the Americas. The British believed that a crucial part of freedom was to obey a specific structure of laws, to be free was to be under government rule. Therefore, “British freedom celebrated the rule of the law, the right to live under legislation”. Furthermore, religion, specifically Christianity, also played an important role in the birth of America’s definition of freedom. Looking at freedom through a religious lens “ The Puritan settlers of colonial Massachusetts...believed their colony the embodiment of true Christianty, planted this spiritual definition of freedom on American soil”. The American definition of freedom was inspired by both these interpretations, the Puritan and the British.

In the United States, we have a liberal democracy meaning our rights and liberties are protected. The US also has a multiparty electoral system with free and fair participation and a checks and balances system that prevents a single party from taking sovereign control. Liberal democracy is a political system that is supported by free and fair elections, but also a separation of powers between branches and the protection of its citizens basic liberties such as, freedom of speech, assembly, property, and religion (Zakaria 22). Constituitonal liberalism is mostly based on limiting power in government, while democracies tend to be more about its accumulation and use (Zakaria 30).

Liberty was a word particularly spoken throughout all the colonies but it first began as an idea through enlightenment. American enlightenment began when educated colonists such as Benjamin Franklin began to be influenced by the European enlightenment (ethanlewis.org). This philosophy originated

The idea of liberty stems from the balance of power and equality among those who support this philosophy. The Constitution created a start for the United States to give liberty to the people, but the idea did not elaborate for the future of its citizens. The federalist believed that this power the constitution states should belong to the elite and intelligent individuals, thus creating a strong central government. Despite the strong support for the Federalist, Anti-Federalist believed such liberty should be shared equal among the people and not on the central government. For this reason, the constitution can be argued to have restricted American liberty because the constitution was not fully developed, leaving many to believe that the liberty was not guaranteed to everyone.

Up until the 1700s, all Europeans had known was an absolute monarchy as a government. Monarchs often answered to no other government officials, and consequently, abused their power to oppress lower classes. Men began meeting in secret salons to discuss what needed to be changed in order to fix this, subsequently beginning enlightenment ideas. John Locke, a prominent English enlightenment thinker, believed that citizens had the right to rebel against an unfair government. As a result, America’s Revolution against Britain was sparked.

Democracy is the ultimate political form of ideological liberalism. It refers to the ideal form of state, and is common to both classical and modern liberals.

Several people believed that there were better ways to rule over a country. For example, Thomas Hobbes thought that people were born selfish and couldn't handle making their own decisions so they needed a stronger government; like an absolute monarchy. However, other Enlightenment thinkers believed the opposite. This made people question the way their government ran and people believed they deserved more rights. In the end, we gained a democracy. We created the Declaration of Independence, US Bill of Rights, The US Constitution and may more important documents. Rousseau helped form the ideas behind some of these important documents. He wrote the Social Contract which says that the government should rule according to the will of the people. Adam Smith also said that governments should not interfere with a free market economy. John Locke also believed that people should be able to rebel against their government if it was not protecting the natural rights of the people. Other philosophers contributed to the making of the government as well. Some including Montesquieu and Voltaire. That is how the American government was impacted by the

The principles of liberty as well as property had long since been established when the monarchy began to recognize the Magna Carta from centuries prior. Through time, both tacit and explicit customs generated certain societal norms that established feelings such as “the rights of Englishmen” of which the American colonists felt was part of their heritage (McDonald). As the colonies were ruled by England they thought of themselves as Englishmen, and the concept of liberty in both America and England were similar by virtue of Common Law, recognized by the colonists. Although America was very similar to England, it began to really feel its independence through the unfolding of certain events over time.

The first early example of rebellion and colonists standing up for what they believed in was the Maryland Act of Religious Toleration which achieved religious freedom which the Founding Fathers used as inspiration for the new America and the beliefs that would be represented. The British then wanted more money and so they passed many Acts that taxed the colonists on all manner of things and even forced them to let British soldiers invade their home. These Acts caused many rebellions by the colonists and angered them greatly. These Acts motivated the colonists to stand up for their ideas and in their hope for a free country where they could have a say too. These Acts and rebellions then caused the Revolutionary War. When the war was won, Congress encountered some difficulties in setting up a new government that would satisfy everyone, but they eventually worked it out with a few mishaps. It then created the America we know today that would not have happened without the rebellious nature of the colonies. Although there are no more problems like the ones Americans encountered in the 1600s-1800s, there will always be problems concerning our government that can only be improved by people standing for what they believe in and how they think they should be governed. In the history and formation of America, the colonies rebelled against what they thought was wrong, and stood up for what they believed in and achieved what they wanted as a

The culmination of the unlawful taxation viewed by the Americans inevitably led to American leading a revolt against the British rule. Many Americans have valued the ideas of John Locke in which each individual has the inalienable“rights to life, liberty, and property” (Lumen American Government). Furthermore, the most important idea of Locke that influenced the British settlers of North America were those of the roots and purpose of a government. Europeans were birth to believe that the Parliament is created by “God, and kings and queens had been divinely appointed to rule” (Lumen American Government). In contrary, Locke hypothesized that “human beings, not God, had created government” (Lumen American Government). This eventually lead to a social contract. A social contract is an agreement of the people and the government to “sacrifice a small portion of their freedom and consented to be ruled in exchange for the government’s protection of their lives, liberty, and property” (Lumen American Government). With the help of John Locke’s ideas and the unlawful control of the British, the American colonists severed their ties with the

Except that which is granted to us by the most high God, our freedom is constrained by the powers of men. On July 4th, 1776 an idea was born that free men were not to be under the control of a tyrannical government and thus birthed the idea that created a nation. What is often not talked about was how did these colonists formulate their freedom if they were “the loyal subjects” of his majesty the King? The freedom that existed within these Men was one that no King is granted Authority over, no instead, our freedom is granted to us by The King of Kings, Lord of Lords! Our writ of freedom signed with the Blood of Jesus Christ Crucified for our sins, our Government

Liberalism is a collection of political, social and economic philosophies that is centered around the rights of personal liberties, civil rights, economic freedom, controlled and democratic government and the rule of law. A controlled and democratic government is instrumental to liberalism. A controlled government is one restricted by the law. The most common example of this can be found in the United States Constitution. The Constitution has outlined the roles and restrictions of each branch of government while also setting a system of checks and balances.

“It is a shift in the practice of democracy from hostility to civility, from advocacy to engagement, from confrontation to conversation, from debate to dialogue, and from separation to community.” (p. 4)