John Locke Influence On Democracy

Immobile people personify immobile blood. What good is stagnant blood? For the heart to function, the blood must stay in motion, fueling the body. Similarly, Americans’ require a government and their

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in The Social Contract, although discussing the same topic of liberty, approaches the argument from a different perspective. Freedom, in Rousseau 's mind, is the right to function completely independent of others (Rousseau 1.7:58), and to be the judge and master of his own decisions (Rousseau 1.1:46). Political government is eventually sought to protect liberty because, "there is a point in the development of mankind at which the obstacles to men 's self-preservation...are too great to be overcome by the strength of any one individual" (Rousseau 1.6:54). At this point, individuals come together to form a society in which these obstacles can be overcome (Rousseau 1.6:54). Rousseau argues that, despite the new society and government, liberty is protected in three aspects; the social contract is based on freedom and self-preservation and thus will never contradict itself (Rousseau 1.6:55); nothing is lost in the new establishment, "in giving himself to all...he gains the equivalent of all that he loses, and greater strength for the conservation of what he possesses" (Rousseau 1.6:55).

In Book 1, The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the main focus is directed at why people give up their natural liberty in order to achieve protection from threats to themselves and their possessions. This then results in the formation of a legitimate sovereign we’re all members are equal. Rousseau believes that no human has authority over another individual because force cannot be established. He disputes that no one will give up his or her freedom without getting something back. I will focus my analysis on how the social contract states that we must give up our individual rights in order to obtain equality and security.

He was a French philosopher who wrote the Age of Enlightenment about freedom, and democracy. Much of his writing made the aristocracy and monarchies furious because he was going against them. His ideas influenced people in the American Revolution and even the French Revolution. Thomas Paine was influenced by Voltaire in writing the Common Sense pamphlet. The ideas in his writing influenced the line in the second paragraph “all men are created equal” and also the 1st amendment about religion and freedom in the Declaration of Independence (Unknown 4).

John Locke is an enlightened political philosopher whose explanations to his ideas remains profoundly influential. Locke believes people should have the right to do anything they want without the government enforcing them to do a task. In The Second Treatise, Locke discusses some vital concepts of his thinking, beginning with a discussion of the State of Nature. He explains that humans move from a state of nature characterized by perfect freedom and are governed by reason to a civil government in which the authority is vested in a legislative and executive power. In the State of Nature, men are born equal, to have perfect liberty to maintain.

Judging from what I have read and seen off the videos shown to us for each philosopher, I believe that the biggest influence on the U.S constitution would have to be John Locke. He focused on the issues that to this day we are still concerned over which are; who should rule over us, how we should educate our children and what to do with those that have different religions from us. As mentioned, Locke had argued against Thomas Hobbes social contract so that people can have the right to over throw the ruler if the ruler acted like a tyrant. This became a big influence on the democratic revolution because to this day as we know it we still have a say in which ruler (president and government) we want to expel from giving us orders so long as we

Conclusion: In Jean Rousseau’s, “The Social Contract” he states that people are willing to give up individual freedom and be ruled by others but only if their rights, happiness, and property would be better protected under a formal government rather than an anarchic. We are here for this. We want to separate from Great Britain and be independent. We want to provide you with a government that provides you with all this. All we need is your help in fighting this war.

Ever since the United States became a nation, there has always been a two party system. The two original parties were the Federalist and Democratic-Republican. One was seeking to increase the power of the central government, the other was seeking to decrease it. The Federalist party was founded in 1792 and the Democratic Republican that was founded in 1791 (Insidegov.com, n.d.). The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, believed in the importance of a strong central government to lead the country forward, while the Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, believed in increasing the average man’s role in government (study.com, 2003-2016).

Morality, a Bad Idea “It is a mistake to assume that the law should always enforce morality”(Peter Sings). Morality is the principles concerning the distinction between right or wrong, or good and bad behavior. The law is a system that enforces rules for a country or community. The United States is known as a democracy, this is defined by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia as “A form of government that gives power to the people.” Making morality be forced into law enforcement will only abandon America’s democracy system.

During the Constitutional Period of the United States, America’s governmental system underwent a long journey of development and growth. Even in the country’s first stages of development, many factors such as taxation and civil liberties played a large role in America’s drive for independence from Britain and the establishment of a separate government. Not only this, but the ideals of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Charles de Montesquieu were able to influence the American people and form of government. However, it is also important to recognize the imperfections of America’s first form of government, the Articles of Confederation, and how both the ratification and the Constitutional Convention were necessary to the overall

However, if the government’s subjects refuse to obey the law of the land, the leading authorities have the right to “punish the crimes committed against that law”. Moreover, if the government takes their natural rights away from the people, they have the right to overthrow the government, because those rights are universal and belong to every human being. Locke’s proposed system guards against absolute or arbitrary power by emphasizing the power of unity.

Mills believed that society had the right to limit freedoms of the individual to engage in behaviors that affected those not engaging in the behaviors. This idea is articulated later in “On Liberty” when mill states that the “only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

Madison justified his definition of property by stating that while a man may not own physical property, a man’s beliefs should be just as important, if not more important, than any physical property. Additionally, Madison suggested that it was a republican government’s duty to protect a citizen’s property, and included in those parameters is the protection of every citizen’s right to free thinking. Madison’s Property also appealed to the reader’s morals, values, and patriotism in the last paragraph when he said, “If the United States mean to obtain or deserve the full praise due to wise and just governments, they will equally respect the rights of property…” (Madison 1792, 268). Although, Madison didn’t exclude the rich from equal protection, Madison said it wasn’t the government’s place to invade the rich’s domestic sanctuaries with arbitrary taxes, but, he was equally convinced that excessive taxing on the poor was equally unjust.

It also greatly influenced the Bill of Rights and the later Constitution. The document itself is eloquently written and splits into two main sections. The first part of The Declaration of Independence listed a view of what a government should do for its people, it advocates a weaker form of Minarchism, and the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The latter part of the Declaration lists complaints against King George and intellectually justifies the new nation. In short, the colonists finally came together as one nation due to the battles which were endured together, they formed a new nation and resisted the tyranny of King

However, Paine argues that the House of Commons only serves to disguise the will of the king as democratic. Common Sense dictates that the democratic House of Commons would better serve society alone, forgoing the “two ancient tyrannies”. There is no benefit in retaining the monarchy any longer in this contrived constitution. The final argument made by Paine