How Did Enlightenment Thinkers Influence The American And French Revolution

The Declaration of Independence was a document created for the purpose of declaring the colonies to be independent, or splitting, from Great Britain. It was mostly used to inform countries other than Great Britain of said split. This document was primarily shaped by the ideology of various intellectuals. Among these were John Locke, George Mason, and Jean Jacque Rousseau. These men formed crucial ideas that were central to the shaping of the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson.

After years of being subjected to Britain’s constant demands and constricting rules, America decided to pursue the future government and society they desired. They sent a letter to King John III, this letter contained a list of offenses the king had committed, and it also rallied up the colonists to fight for their freedom. This letter, called the Declaration of Independence, was ratified on July 4th, 1776. With the help of five colonists Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to voice the people’s concerns. This letter ended up impacting how the government developed. The American government was significantly influenced by the Declaration of Independence, which established freedom and more rights for the people, and equality

A group was eventually formed in 1769, which was known as the American Philosophical Society, and allowed for leading colonial thinkers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to analyze their ideas to improve society, eventually leading to the need of the American Revolution. These core ideas of the Enlightenment were the basis of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution.

This leads to the Declaration of Independence which was adopted July 4, 1776. This document was meant as a self-esteem boost for the new Americans; giving them inalienable rights. “The most important statement in the declaration is the human rights, where the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are extolled” (Gaynor). “He [Thomas Jefferson] wrote: "... it was intended to be an expression of the American mind" (Early America). Jefferson meant that the American people wanted freedom from high taxes and the big government in England.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and John Locke’s Second Treatise of the Government are the underlying influences of The Declaration of Independence. This gave Thomas Jefferson, the author, a basis for undeniable rights of men and a new formation of government. Although Jefferson and Paine’s works share the same rudimentary principles, their ideas are clarified in different ways. Paine promotes the use of a Continental Conference to commission a continental charter that will lay down laws for the land, ensuring its citizens undeniable rights. The Declaration of Independence was later commissioned by the Continental Congress and written by Thomas Jefferson. It is important to Paine and the Continental Congress that laws are documented. The Declaration of Independence can be described as a coming out for the United States as an independent nation to the world, while detailing their radical decision to split from Britain. The Declaration of Independence explains, “a decent respect to the opinion of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation”. Jefferson deemed it necessary to explain why this document is being created.

To begin, the main objective of enlightenment was to development the society using reasons, and stimulating the rational though. Enlightenment, also, created a path for independent thought, on the areas of physics, mathematics, politics, economics, and medicine. John Locke made a huge impact on the America colonist by stating the natural rights of life, liberty and property. The most important federal papers were the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In 1776, the Continental congress declared the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is extremely important because Americans were stating that they were able to hold their own grown and did not need any of Great Britain’s laws.

Liberty is defined as freedom from arbitrary or oppressive control, that mandates one’s way of living. A document commonly associated with this concept, is the United States Declaration of Independence, due to its assertion that all men are equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence even goes on to state that men have the right to alter or abolish their government if they feel their government does not grant people the natural rights that they are entitled to. These two points were crucial to the document, as they explained why the United States thought of itself as an independent nation, not a colony, under the domain of Great Britain. When drafting the declaration, Thomas Jefferson borrowed from other documents, like the English Declaration of Rights, and the writings of John Locke, as both explained the limits of absolute authority. Due to the nature of the declaration, the document and the principles discussed in it would not influence the law of the United States. Additionally, when the founding fathers promised equality to all, they mainly meant to people similar to themselves, white men of property. The hypocrisy with the statements made in the declaration were acknowledged by some nineteenth century social reformers and activists. Though these activists agreed with the principles in the Declaration of Independence, they thought that Liberty could only be

During the Enlightenment many changes were happening. There were breakthroughs in all sciences not just medicine. Old ideas and theories were replaced with more modern ways. New medicines were developed and new treatments were tested. Some of the discoveries are still in use today with more modern machinery and diagnostic tools. This was an exciting age for all sciences.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson when he had the vision that America should be liberal. This document written in 1776 announces that the thirteen American colonies now proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence shapes our ideal vision of America by stating that all individuals have inalienable rights, requiring life, liberty, and property. If any of these rights are not protected, people have the right to abolish the government. The document also highlighted the reasons for this action by listing political and moral injustices made by the King of Great Britain over the American colonies.

Thomas Jefferson composed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 in order to lay out the case for independence endorsed by the members of the Continental Congress. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, exemplified the importance of American independence and how colonists need to fight for it. Overall, Locke’s treatise influenced Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson in establishing American independence for the American colonists. John Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government of 1689 was very influential towards American independence; especially during the American Revolution. Locke’s influence towards Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was evident throughout the pamphlet.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. The purpose of the document was to explain to other countries why the colonies were choosing to break away from Great Britain. Several different statements contained in the Declaration of Independence took inspiration from the Enlightenment, and John Locke. John Locke was an influential Enlightenment thinker. One case in point is how the document states about the consent of the government. This idea is from the Enlightenment, which supported people making their own decisions. An additional example is the concept that if the government does not protect the people, it would be necessary for the people to revolt. This comes from the Enlightenment, because the Enlightenment encouraged the people to question the government when things were wrong with

How did the Enlightenment contribute to the American Revolution? Well before I answer that question, you need to know about the Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment, which took place in the 18th century, philosophers looked for natural laws that governed society and politics. The Enlightenment began in Europe as many citizens started to question their government and the way it ran. Some important philosophers during the Enlightenment were John Locke, he believed that people should be able to revolt where their government was not protecting the natural rights of the people. He also believed in natural rights such as the right to life, the right to be free, and the right to own property. Another important philosopher was Voltaire , who

The Declaration of Independence was of crucial importance in relation to the development and finding of the United States of America.Written by Thomas Jefferson, the letter stated that the thirteen American colonies considered themselves free from British rule.. The Declaration listed the reasons for colonial dissatisfaction, and a list of injustice’s due to the King’s unfair and unlawful ruling. When examined closely, the Declaration of Independence shows a relatively new philosophy: that “governments are institutions established with the consent of the governed, not the divine rule of kings…” philosophers such as John Locke had suggested this principle, and the writers of the Declaration established it as the basis of their new nation,

For example, philosophers such as John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu had pivotal impressions on American revolutionary leaders In Two Treatises of Government, Locke published the concept that all people were born with natural rights: life, liberty, and property. In saying this, it becomes obvious that the concept was a direct and obvious influence on Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in the first article of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” On this note, the influences of Francis Hutchison and Thomas Reid – two Scottish Enlightenment thinkers – come to mind. Hutchison vouched for inalienable rights, or rights that are unable to be taken away, and equality among men; Reid mentions in his publications, “self-evident truths.” The English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta are also some of the many British concepts from which the Founding Fathers drew inspiration. The list of complaints against James II which commences the English Bill of Rights is paralleled in the Declaration of Independence, where the colonists’ grievances against George III are

Philosophy in the Enlightenment Age focused on an individual’s right to life and liberty. One example of a philosopher from this age is Thomas Jefferson. He famously wrote the Declaration of Independence (1776) that the Continental Congress