How Did John Locke's Theory Of Enlightenment

The enlightenment was a time period where many people like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Baron de Montesquieu came up with new ideas to change how people lived and governments ruled over there people. These ideas not only helped give people rights but they also helped the founding fathers write the constitution, and even influence Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. These people’s ideas shaped how governments rule by giving people their natural born rights and creating system of checks and balances. They also helped challenge the monarchy system of having a single ruler control everything and everyone. The monarchy system had its advantages; however it also had many flaws. One individual controlling everything is not the best way to run a country.
John Locke was a British statesman, philosopher, and political theorist.
Locke was the main source of the theory of enlightenment. Locke’s main goals were to help and understand human conditions under a ruler. Locke’s ideas influenced the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Locke aimed to find new ways to protect one’s individual rights and liberty for everyone. Locke believed in a civil government that promoted property rights, peace, and unity for all. He thought that frequent rebellions stemmed from governments endangering or violating people’s natural rights. Locke thought governments should exclude the use of force against their people as it infringed upon their natural rights and was unnecessary. Locke developed the idea of a government made up of a system of checks and balances. These checks and balances created a system that divided control and governance equally between 3 separate but equal branches of government. Locke felt that this was the best and strongest form of a
government.

Thomas Hobbes had a different view on humanity, viewing humans as being primarily selfish and brutish. Hobbes was influenced a lot by all the new scientific thoughts and mathematical knowledge. He worked on theory of a strong government system built on a strong science foundation and rejecting tradition and religion. Hobbes supported absolutism, but he never listened to the theorists about absolutism. That being that the monarch’s power was from god. Hobbes describes the state as war, all against all. He helped the founding fathers make Americas first principles of unalienable rights, a social compact and of limited government. Montesquieu studied politics throughout his life. He wrote an expansive study of government. His key theory was that the government should be divided. This idea becomes very popular in the thirteen colonies. Montesquieu was born in an upper class military family. He married into wealth, later becoming a famous writer. He wrote the Persian letters. They were never attributed to him. This allowed him to criticize the French government without fear of reprisal. Later Montesquieu moved to Paris where he joined the court. The move impacted him financially causing him to lose a substantial amount of money. Montesquieu believed in promoting liberty for individuals and for everyone to have a fair lifestyle. Philosophers helped shape governments and how America and many other democratic governments work today. Locke’s idea of checks and balances help stem abuses of power. Locke also helps with the bill of rights. Hobbes believed all humans were selfish animals. He helped by adding science and strong governmental power into the governmental mix. These philosophers shaped the modern world today with their ideas.