ipl-logo

Rousseau Vs Hobbes

616 Words3 Pages

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 …show more content…

For example, Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher who wrote Leviathan, argued that because people live in a “war of all against all,” an absolute government with a supreme ruler was needed to keep everyone in line. Without an absolute monarch, Hobbes believed that the state of nature would only result in complete chaos and violence. Locke, on the other hand, argued against powerful kings and believed that popular consent and majority rule were essential parts of a government. Although people can exist in a state of nature with any ruler, Locke believed that the human desire for self preservation and property will result in a longing for government and stability. Not only this, but Locke believed that the duty of the government is to respect and protect the rights of life, liberty, and property. However, Locke did not believe in an all-powerful government and believed that the government should separate its powers with competing legislative and executive branches. Although these two views are conflicting, both Hobbes and Locke were able to articulate both the advantages and disadvantages of an all powerful government. Because of the oppression that the colonists were feeling under Britain, the words of Locke greatly influenced their governments beliefs and increased the

Show More
Related

  • Shay's Rebellion Dbq Essay

    867 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the late 1700’s, it was America’s goal to create a republic that had a representative government that was based upon the approval of the people. Unfortunately, the people feared a strong central government because of the previous trouble the colonies had when they were ruled by Britain. They were always being unfairly taxed and had very few rights. In order to avoid this, a very weak government was developed that seemed to satisfy the people, but would not satisfy the well being of the country. It wasn’t until Shay’s rebellion which brought light to the fact that the Articles of Confederation were not going to cut it, so the Constitutional Convention was created and convened to find an alternative solution which was the creation of the Constitution.

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederation

    364 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation was a step in the right direction of democracy. However, the document was fundamentally weak. In this essay, I argue that the Articles of Confederation was not the ideal governmental model. Primarily, the weakness of the Articles of Confederation revolves around the weak central government's inability to tax.

    Read More

  • Articles Of Confederation Dbq

    579 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the revolution won, the colonist’s drafted the first known constitution as the Articles of Confederation. Favoring power to the separate states instead of a national government, the influence of King George III permanently ridded the conscience of the colonists from one body, or group, having excessive power over the nation. In all, the power came from the People. Regardless of the colonist’s success, however, led to more dire situations in their growth.

    Read More

  • Slavery In Joseph J. Ellis's Founding Brothers

    946 Words  | 4 Pages

    After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?

    Read More

  • The Constitution Pros And Cons

    906 Words  | 4 Pages

    During and immediately after the Revolutionary War, the founding Fathers of America sought to establish a republic on a scale never seen before and to do so had to experiment with new laws and political ideas. Though it was obvious that the first law of the land, The Articles of Confederation, were too weak for the new nation, the development of the new constitution in the late 1780s sparked fierce political debates over the power of the new central government. Even during the debate over the new constitution, it was merely political factions fighting over ideas of government. It would not be until Washington’s first term in office that actual political parties emerged. It was the differences between Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton,

    Read More

  • Examples Of Improving The Articles Of Confederation

    1576 Words  | 7 Pages

    Improving the Articles of Confederation Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation brought forth the first Constitution of the newly named United States of America, setting its sights on a strong central government. But, although all the colonies reached an agreement, the implementation of the Articles soon indicated that various requirements of a strong Nation weren’t being actualized. Weaknesses expressed by the Articles include, but aren’t limited to: the lack of an effective judicial system, the lack of efficient diplomacy, as well as the inability for congress to successfully tax the nation. These deficiencies were rectified in the first three articles of the current U.S. Constitution, with the creation of the Judicial and Executive

    Read More

  • Constitutional Convention 1787

    1278 Words  | 6 Pages

    The events of the American Revolution affirmed the colonists’ anxieties over an inordinately centralized government that infringed on their natural rights and autonomy. Such rights were inalienable since they belonged to each individual on account of the laws of nature, and could not be taken away without consent. After the Revolution, the colonists adopted the Articles of Confederation to grant the states considerable sovereignty. Unfortunately, the Articles precipitated a new set of problems in creating a weak federal government with a limited role in enforcing the law and maintaining unity between the states. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 addressed these and other issues by establishing a new government that asserted the Constitution

    Read More

  • Descartes And Hobbes: A Comparative Analysis

    1710 Words  | 7 Pages

    With their philosophic stance, it is first necessary to be clear about the fundamental nature of political reality. What are the key constituting ingredients of political life? Hobbes finds the great drive for self-preservation and the passions plus a calculating self-interest as chief factors. Locke finds natural equality and liberty plus the great rights. In both cases, the method is to go behind culture and civilization and to discover the original, natural, and basic parts that will form the whole.

    Read More

  • Gordon S Wood Creation Of The American Republic Sparknotes

    1224 Words  | 5 Pages

    Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast John Locke And The Declaration Of Independence

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    John Locke was a philosopher and political scientist. He had many interests and produced a number of writings that influenced future leaders. One of these leaders was Thomas Jefferson, who was involved with the aid of America and the act gaining independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence and Locke’s views on government contain many similar aspects. These ideas includes the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (natural rights); the protection that is provided by the government for these rights; and the altering or abolishment of government if it fails to provide and protect the rights of the people.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    1016 Words  | 5 Pages

    John Locke also went against Hobbes’ ideas by saying that government can be overthrown. These ideas all show different viewpoints, that government should have all the power, and that it should be split up to keep them from having all the

    Read More

  • Thomas Hobbes Influence On Thomas Jefferson's Declaration Of Enlightenment

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    One his theories, stated in his book called Leviathan said that people are not able rule themselves because of how selfish mankind is and they need to be ruled by an iron fist. His political theory was that was also stated in Leviathan was that we should respect government authority under all circumstances to avoid violence. Hobbes was scared of the outcome of the social contract which meant people could get rid of the government if they were unhappy with what they were getting. In order to make well with the social contract he states in Leviathan that people should be completely obedient to the government. His reasoning was that if there was no government, there would be chaos.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Thomas Hobbes And John Locke

    1441 Words  | 6 Pages

    When comparing the two different accounts of English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke we must take into consideration a number of things such as the age in which they lived and the time in which they produced their philosophical writings. We will however find out that these two philosophers actually have a couple of things in which agree on even though most of their opinions clash. On one side we have Thomas Hobbes who lived in the time of the English Civil War (1642-1651) who provides a negative framework for his philosophical opinions in his masterpiece Leviathan and who advocates for philosophical absolutism . On the other side we have John Locke, living during the glorious revolution (1688-1689) he presents a positive attitude in his book The Second Treatise of Government and advocates for philosophical and biblical constitutionalism. It is important that we know that the state of nature describes a pre- political society prior to the social contract.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hobbes And Rousseau

    1351 Words  | 6 Pages

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes, two titans of the Enlightenment, work within similar intellectual frameworks in their seminal writings. Hobbes, in Leviathan, postulates a “state of nature” before society developed, using it as a tool to analyze the emergence of governing institutions. Rousseau borrows this conceit in Discourse on Inequality, tracing the development of man from a primitive state to modern society. Hobbes contends that man is equal in conflict during the state of nature and then remains equal under government due to the ruler’s monopoly on authority. Rousseau, meanwhile, believes that man is equal in harmony in the state of nature and then unequal in developed society.

    Read More

  • Thomas Hobbes Absolute Monarchy

    1084 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thomas Hobbes proposed that the ideal government should be an absolute monarchy as a direct result of experiencing the English Civil War, in which there was internal conflict between the parliamentarians and the royalists. Hobbes made this claim under the assumption that an absolute monarchy would produce consistent policies, reduce conflicts and lower the risk of civil wars due to the singular nature of this ruling system. On another hand, John Locke counters this proposal with the view that absolute monarchies are not legitimate as they are inconsistent with the state of nature. These two diametrically opposed views stem from Hobbes’ and Locke’s different understandings of human nature, namely with regard to power relationships, punishment, and equality in the state of nature. Hobbes’ belief that human beings are selfish and appetitive is antithetical with Locke’s contention that human beings are intrinsically moral even in the state of nature, which results in Locke’s strong disagreement with Hobbes’ proposed absolute monarchy.

    Read More

More about Rousseau Vs Hobbes

Open Document