Classical Liberalism: Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Freedom

The citizens in France and America were affected by the promotion of classical liberalism because of how it encouraged individuals to embrace change and equality in society.

One of the biggest influences that John Locke had on President Jefferson was, what John Locke dubbed, “Natural Rights,” and what Jefferson called, “Unalienable Rights.” Meaning practically the same thing, these rights were very similar, and it is obvious that Jefferson’s version derives from Locke’s ‘Natural Rights.’ John Locke’s version stated that all peoples shall possess the following rights: Life, Liberty, and Property. In this case, life means, that people people will fight to live and want to survive. Liberty refers to being free, and being able to make one’s own decision. Property means that people shall own land, food, or any tool that can aid them in

This was the time when government and monarchy had full control over any type of property of people and also controlled people as slaves; they were the only ones living a free life while making others

As in the US, the concept of liberalism meant to social liberalism, while in other areas it is still the original meaning of classical liberalism. Conceptually, liberalism emphasizes the individual rights people. Many advocates of freedom support greater intervention by the state to the free market, often in the form of anti-discrimination legislation, education. These fundamental human rights to which all people by liberals supported the right to live in liberty, and religious

"Natural rights are those which appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the natural rights of others." --Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791.

Back then the idea of natural rights was one of the most intelligent thoughts around, and we take advantage of them because we have not done without them. Natural rights play a crucial role in the declaration of independence and our society today. Natural rights are the most basic rights a person is born with that no one can take away, but were taken away by the king during that time. “I believe in the

The main philosophy of John Locke, a famous and well-known Enlightenment philosopher, involves his theory of natural law and natural rights given to mankind. In this particular article, entitled “The Consent of the Governed”, part of his work Two Treatises of Government, Locke addresses importance of man’s natural state and its main characteristics, the forming of a government and what it offers and the relationship between a government and its subjects.

Jefferson was strongly influenced by the belief that all humans have certain rights that cannot be taken away, and that these rights ought to be protected by a government. The resemblance between “the state of nature” and “the Declaration of Independence” are uncanny, Jefferson and Locke are consistently portraying the same ideas whether they mention the transition between the “Law of Nature” to the “Law of a Civil Society” or the concept of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Jefferson “Declaration of Independence”). The main similarities between the two works are the ideas that mainly focused on equality. However, some major difference that stands out between the two documents are that the Social Contract is based off an agreement between civilians and a higher power, such as a monarchy, where civilians would give up some of their freedom to live in a governed society. While the Declaration of Independence mentions how a monarchy did not protect the rights of the citizens and therefore, developed a government that was based solely on the will of its

Individuals lay the foundation of America. The Founding Fathers of this unique nation broke their allegiance with Great Britain to create an improved governing body. They desired an individual-centered authority as opposed to Britain’s monarchy, which ruled with tyranny. These Founding Fathers experienced a neglectful democratic monarchy that cared little about the ethical treatment of its people. The domineering actions of Britain challenged these historic individuals to form a new cultural identity. This new American identity opposes injustice. Justice stands as an important moral and political concept. A prominent component of justice is liberty, which frees society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's lifestyle. Another

Liberalism as it pertains to the 1700s means to believe in freedom and equal rights. John Locke was the first to create this idea of liberalism. Locke’s views influence the many important people during the American Revolution. As we can see liberalism can be seen in the American Revolution. From Thomas Jefferson to James Madison we see liberal beliefs throughout the revolution. As I continue my research I will go through letters, books and diaries to find more evidence of how liberalism is present in the American

Thomas Hobbes was a man that left an eternal influence on political thought. Hobbes was born in Westport, Wiltshire on April 5, 1588. He was an English philosopher that made an impact which changed the people’s point of view on government. His contributions were small but frequent. “People are selfish. They are moved chiefly by the desire for power and by fear of others. Thus, without an all-powerful sovereign to rule them, their lives would be "poor, nasty, brutish, and short."- Thomas Hobbes. He argued that we should have equal rights and that no one should have power over someone else. This influenced the government that the society would not survive without a well-built government and without the thoughts of Thomas Hobbes, people wouldn’t have the rights they have today.

The American Dream is still alive and available to everyone today, although it is different for everyone. The American Dream is what each individual believes it to be and does not have a set definition, it is whatever the person believes it to be and it still possible for everyone. America still provides access to opportunity for everyone from the people who are born in poverty to the people that are born into wealth. While lately there has been much debate over whether the American Dream is still alive and well and many people believe that it is dead, there are considerable proof and evidence that the American Dream is developing and thriving.

The interest intensified during the Age of Enlightenment in the following century. Several 17th and 18th century European philosophers, especially John Locke, Thomas Paine, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, developed the concept of natural rights, the notion that people are naturally free and equal. . The Enlightenment philosophers suggested a secular social contract between the rulers and the ruled, who deprive themselves of some rights to gain security and serenity at the cost of some of their liberties. In the same time some ‘Natural rights’ preexisting the authority must be respected by the authority, i.e. the government and the State, in order to keep its legitimacy. John Locke discussed natural rights in his work, identifying them as being "life, liberty, and estate (property)", and argued that such fundamental rights could not be surrendered in the social contract. Although Locke thought natural rights originated by divinity since humans were creations of God, his ideas were fundamental in the development of the modern idea of human rights. For the first time the natural rights were not linked to any citizenship nor relied on any law of the state, nor were they destined to one particular ethnic, cultural or religious

Early colonial experiences had a tremendous affect on the founder’s view about rights and limited self-government. Accordingly, Thomas Jefferson explained, “ Every man and every body of men on earth possess the right of self government. Jefferson’s view defined the belief of many of the colonists, that government must be representative of the people.

Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have become known as three of the most prominent political theorists in the world today. Their philosophies and innovative thinking is known worldwide and it has influenced the creation of numerous new governments. All three thinkers agree on the idea of a social contract but their opinions differ on how the social contract is established and implemented within each society. These philosophers state, that in order for the social contract to be successful people need to give up certain freedoms in order to secure fundamental protections from the state, henceforth the state then has certain responsibilities to their citizens. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all believe that before men were governed we all lived in a state of nature. This state of nature was the conditions in which we lived before there were any political governments to rule over us and it described what societies would be like if we had no government at all. In this essay I will compare the opinions given by each philosopher regarding their understanding of the state and the law. I will also discuss how their theories have influenced our understanding of the law today.