The Contribution Of John Locke And The Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of independence was a great successful document written by Thomas Jefferson a great idealist and a man from the age of enlightment, he was a great writer and was the one chosen to write the declaration of independence, he wrote it with a lot of thought about how people’s emotions would be, how they would react, and how it would work all to their advantage, and with very rhetoric language he wrote this document, stating truths and lies about what was happening in the colonies at that time.

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

John Locke was perhaps one of the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke discusses the move from a state of nature and perfect freedom to a then governed society in which authority is given to a legislative and executive power. His major ideas included liberalism and capitalism, state of nature, state of war and the desire to protect one’s property.

John Locke was an English writer, and his writings were based on the events that took place during the Glorious Revolution in England in 1689, when the people of England overthrew King James II. John Locke was interestingly enough, brought up in a loyalist and Evangelical family. He was born to a very wealthy family, and received much prestige in Oxford for his connections to the higher ups. Locke presented his ideas of rebellion during the English civil war which took place in the mid-1600s, in favor of the revolts against the King’s rule in England at the time. John Locke graduated with a degree in medicine from Oxford University.

In 1776, at the dawn on the American revolution, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, beginning with the immortal introduction quoted above. He is viewed by history to be a firm advocate of freedom and liberty for all men. However, there is a lot more to the 3rd president of the United States than the Declaration.

Background Info: Locke was born in 1632 to a wealthy Puritan family and was highly involved in politics during the Glorious Restoration. His witnessing of the effective overthrowing of the government in order to place better suited rulers in power greatly influenced his perspective on government (RJ Lecture).

Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution for independence in June of 1776. The Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence that consisted of John Adams (MA), Benjamin Franklin (PA), Thomas Jefferson (VA), Robert Livingston (NY) and Roger Sherman (CT).

John Locke is not well known as a founder of the Declaration of Independence, but he is a main figure behind the philosophy of it. At first the Declaration and Locke seem to have no connection, but once one takes the time to look deeper they can see that the Declaration echoes Locke. Locke’s philosophy is condensed into a few hundred words under Thomas Jefferson’s pen.

The political philosopher, John Locke is known best for his ideas that influenced Thomas Jefferson while writing the Declaration of Independence. Locke’s views on government were very respected by our founding fathers, even though they were very different from the government styles of his time.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, the author and American founding father declares to the colonists their separation from Great Britain. The Declaration was published on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in response to King George the III abuses and grievances to the thirteen colonies. Jefferson uses of loaded language, ethos, and pathos in order to strengthen and clarify his position to the colonists.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence, 99and the third president of the United States of America. Jefferson was extraordinary with words, stringing them together seamlessly so that to deny his word was unheard of. Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence, but he plagiarized the ideas from an enlightenment thinker John Locke. Locke believed that man was born

This was a major turning point in history because it provided the foundation for the creation of all men to be made equal. It also explained why the 13 colonies wanted to break free from British control. ”We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.( The Declaration of Independence)” Jefferson’s selection was not only based on his powerful writing style but also on many of Virginia’s views and thoughts. According to Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History, The four other members such as: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, agreed that Jefferson was the right choice to draft the Declaration of Independence due to his “superior writing skills and penetrating mind.” By Jefferson writing this instrumental document he solidified his role as one of the founding

John Locke was born in 1632 at Wrinton in Somerset, England. He opposed the views of Thomas Hobbes and thought that people were born neither good nor evil. He believed that people's characters were solely based on their experiences and their environment. He also believed that people could learn from their experiences and change their characters for the better. He believed that people had three Natural Rights- life, liberty, and property. In Locke's eyes, the purpose of the government was to protect the people's Natural Rights. He thought that if the government was not doing this job, that the people had the right to overthrow it. Although it may seem that Locke would support a democracy, he was not a democrat. He believed that laborers were of a lower status that the middle and upper classes and had no place meddling in the affairs of the government. He believed that the poor had neither the education nor the inclination to make political decisions responsibly. This was a popular belief of the time. Many of Locke’s political ideas, such as those relating to natural rights, property rights, the duty of the government to protect these rights, and the rule of the majority, were later embodied in the United States

He studied medicine and natural philosophy. Locke writing has impact so many philosophers like Rousseau, Voltaire and much more. He is often regarded as the founder of a school of thought known as British Empiricism, and he made foundational contributions to modern theories of limited, liberal government (Connolly J. Patrick, 2002). Locke was important in theology, religious toleration, and educational theory. John Locke was the

John Locke was someone more than just an ordinary man. He was the son of a