John Locke is one of the most influential Enlightenment philosophers of the seventeenth century. His philosophical writings of individual rights and role of government to secure these rights were a major influence on the founding fathers of the United States of America. The founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison used many of the tenets of John Locke's philosophy to construct the American political ideology of liberal democracy. John Locke's view of what a civil society and popular sovereignty inspired the founding fathers and the colonists to develop a political and social discourse which fueled the American Revolution. Locke's influence can be seen in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.
To achieve this America first had to rid itself of the Navigation Acts. New England would set the tone; “Massachusetts bay officials regarded the colony as a “free state” subject only to laws of their making” (Lambert31). America’s fight for independence in the Atlantic started with its fight for independence politically first. Parliament enacted acts such as the Sugar and Stamp Act to try and combat these issues of American trade smuggling. But Americans were not backing down; in fact it was the exact opposite.
After pursuing with that Gallaudet became interested in writing children's books. Gallaudet was a well known man for all the things he did. After graduated from Yale, Gallaudet was not quite sure of the direction he wanted to proceed in terms of a career. He had many interests to include working in a trade, attending a seminary or perform in the capacity of a traveling salesman. Temporarily, he worked as a legal apprentice before deciding to return to Yale University in 1808 as a graduate student where he obtained a Masters of Arts degree.
Disagreements erupted over how the colonies felt that they should be treated and the way they were actually treated by Britain. The British stance was that the colonies were created for the benefit of Britain and the Colonialists wanted more say in their own existence. One main cause of the revolution was that the Colonists wanted more representation within the British government hence “no taxation without representation”, (Hickman n.d.), Britain was unwilling to do this. Another factor was the geographical distance between Britain and the Colonists, this created a sense of independence with in the colonies. Britain therefore tried to tighten control over the Colonists through a series of acts designed to quell any sense of rebellion.
The legal sense of rights states that all other conceptions of rights, such as American views are described as liberty and privileges. The government felt that the Americans rights had distinct power and could be given and taken away by them. The Americans disagreed with the government because they viewed rights as something that was owned indisputably and entitled to them at birth. The British however, believed that they had
Both also argue that when the laws of man come into conflict with the laws of God, that civil disobedience is not only justified, but is a moral obligation. Both are in the history books as two of Americas most successful revolutionaries. It is clear that Dr. King read Jefferson’s, “Declaration of Independence”, and used it as the model on which he based his arguments in “Letter from a Birmingham jail” on. These two documents are the handbook by which all civil rights leaders and revolutionaries use as the road map justify their call for equal rights upon. Between June 11th, and June 28th, of 1776 Thomas Jefferson wrote his manifesto, “The Declaration of Independence” (later enhanced by the eloquent, and skillful, changes that Bengermin Franklin and John Adams made), as a call for the American colonies to break free from English rule.
A Life in Brief Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, spent his childhood roaming the woods and studying his books on a remote plantation in the Virginia Piedmont. Thanks to the prosperity of his father, Jefferson had an excellent education. After years in boarding school, where he excelled in classical languages, Jefferson enrolled in William and Mary College in his home state of Virginia, taking classes in science, mathematics, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature. He also studied law, and by the time he was admitted to the Virginia bar in April 1767, many considered him to have one of the nation's best legal minds. Shaping America's Political Philosophy Jefferson was shy in person, but his pen proved to be a mighty weapon.
Thomas Paine, was an Englishman against British policy, and defended a democratic theory of government. Common Sense shows the advantage of independence, who put forward that Americans should create their own political system. Therefore, Common Sense gave a voice to many colonies who wished to break from the British government, it was useful not only to American, but also Africa and India. Most importantly, Common Sense present the natural rights, such as freedom of press, freedom of religion. As Paine argued that "There is something absurd in supposing a Continent to be perpetually governed by an island".
The Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest political documents in history due to its powerful and distinctive combination of universal principles and also an abstract theory of government. The Declaration of Independence had a huge effect on the U.S, it confirmed the United States free from Britain rule, it united the North and the South since at the time America was divided in two because of the American Civil War, and it expressed the basic principles on which the U.S government should be based off of. America was instituted on the First Principle that the safety of unalienable rights is the legitimate purpose of government, and that government ought to be limited so that it cannot rule over the people of its country. The Declaration
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by some of the greatest minds of the 18th century. The Declaration of Independence is applicable today because it is a timeless declaration of rights of citizens that continues to stand the test of time in democratic societies. The Declaration of Independence was based upon timeless documents and proven ideals that came before it. Perhaps, the most prominent document is the Magna Carta, which provided restrictions upon the English government in 1215, by making the King abide by his laws and rights for the citizens of the country. The Magna Carta declared that people’s rights are unable to be taken away by any government, because their rights are given to them by a higher power; God.