Analysis Of John Locke And Baron De Montesquieu s The...

Noor Momi RJ WH 10 H December, 8, 2014 Take Home Essay: Enlightenment Outline Intro Preamble: Bridge to D.I.: Bridge to Jefferson’s influences: Enlightenment Thinkers: Thesis: Enlightenment thinkers John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu would highly agree with the preamble to the Declaration of the Independence, while Thomas Hobbes would strongly oppose the preamble due to his general lack of belief in humanity. Body Paragraph One TS: John Locke, often referred to as one of the most influential philosophical and political thinkers of the seventeenth century due to his works about the natural human state and birthrights, would highly agree with the preamble due to his ideas actually being incorporated in it. Background Info: Locke was born in 1632 to a wealthy Puritan family and was highly involved in politics during the Glorious Restoration. His witnessing of the effective overthrowing of the government in order to place better suited rulers in power greatly influenced his perspective on government (RJ Lecture). CD: In his Second Treatise on Government, published in 1689, Locke discusses the natural human state as free, unregulated, and that â€Å"no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions†. (BOOK) CM: The striking similarity to Jefferson’s claim to â€Å"certain unalienable Rights... [of] Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness† is blatantly obvious; the parallels in these two pieces that guarantee these irrevocable rights are almost word forShow MoreRelatedInfluential Philosophers s Influence On The Founding Fathers1404 Words   |  6 Pagescontributions and influences of The American Government came from philosophers, some of them are the part of our founding fathers and others influenced them to develop the strong nation we are today. One of the first philosophers was Thomas Hobbes (1500’s), who published â€Å"Leviathan†, key points in the book included; people aren’t capable of ruling themselves, primarily because humans by instinct are selfish and need the strength of a strong leader to keep things running smoothly and in control. He also