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The Influence Of The Declaration Of Independence And Common Sense By Thomas Paine

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John Locke, a Scottish philosopher had a profound influence on some of the most important documents to come about in American history. In The Second Treatise of Civil Government, his political and philosophical thinking can clearly be seen to have influenced the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Since Locke’s political theory influenced these two documents so greatly, one can see the similarities of them. Both documents seem to agree with the same aspects of freedom and government, with very minor disagreements.
First and foremost, it is important to discuss Locke’s central theme of life, liberty, and the pursuit of property and how it influenced the Declaration of Independence. The document starts out discussing the state of nature and the natural law. In the hypothetical state of nature, all humans are created equal, are rational beings, and have the freedom to act however they want without the interference of others. The Declaration of Independence starts out by mentioning this natural state. The state of war is enacted with the introduction of private property. Originally, everything found on the earth belongs to everyone. The natural law was anyone had the freedom to use the earth in any way they may need. However, the natural law also states that every being has a right to their body, and its actions. Their actions would be described as the labor they put into the land owned by everyone, as a result the land produced and made better

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