Philosophical Influences On The Constitution

Philosophical Influences on the Constitution
The early years of this nation had hard working, visionary men who did not seek to impose their own will and ideals on the newly forming country; they were well versed on political systems throughout history, and read books and articles by philosophers such as John Locke and Montesquieu. History, philosophy and legal writings were a normal part of education therefore the theories of natural rights, republicanism and social contract were not novel ideas to the Framers of the Constitution.
After the American Revolution, these great men from each colony understood how unfair the political system they had been living under was and were determined to adopt the best theories and ideas to create a fair
way to govern the newly formed United States of America. From historical studies, they knew how power-hungry rulers claimed themselves sovereign and overtook lands and goods from others. They knew a monarchy gave too much power to one person and they had studied how the Roman Empire had originally been successful, but then imploded on itself.
The philosophical musings of John Locke, written almost 100 years before the Framers began their quest to create a timeless and citizen protected document, influenced these great men in their opinions on how a fair government should run.
Locke wrote about “natural rights.” Duane Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California at Los Angeles, wrote an in-depth article about the political philosophy of the Constitution and says this about John Locke, “Locke held that the inalienable rights of individuals form the basis of all rightful governments. According to him, individuals possess these rights simply by virtue of their humanity” (Smith, par 19). Later in the article Smith addresses Locke’s’ comments regarding natural rights, “The authority exercised by governments is exercised on the basis of the consent of the governed and they consent to the exercise of that authority in order to acquire security for their natural rights to life, liberty and estate” (Smith, par 20). According to Smith, Locke thought about what life could possibly be like if there was no accountability in the form of some type of government. “Life in the state of nature is insecure because without government there is no single authority to determine what the law of nature demands and to enforce those demands. All men being equal, each is entitled to enforce the law of nature and to punish transgressors. Locke thought that the disadvantages of this are obvious: men's
understanding of the laws of nature is flawed because their reason is imperfect and their judgments distorted by their own self-interest.” (Smith, par 21).
The Framers also considered the writings of Charles Montesquieu of France.
Montesquieu came from a family of nobility in the late 1600’s. He lived under a monarchy, but traveled and studied in England where he observed Parliament and the House of Commons and reflected on how such as system, if correctly set up could act as a way of checks and balances on each other in which no one branch had total control. This concept we see very clearly in our Constitution. Montesquieu also believed that there was an understood “social contract” among mankind and that “the need for food…caused the timid humans to associate with others and seek to live in a society” (Costly, par
19).
We see these philosophical ideals in the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote in agreement with the representatives of the 13 colonies, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (similar to what both Locke and Montesquieu stated were God-given rights) — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” (the theory of social contract) (“The Declaration of Independence,” par 1).
In the U.S. Constitution, we see more of Montesquieu’s republicanism ideals when we look at the first three Articles to the Constitution detailing the three branches of government – the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary – the system of checks and balances he felt were vital to protect citizens from tyranny. After the Articles establishing the government were written, Amendments were added, and continue to be added, that protect the citizens of the nation who continue to believe that government should be for the people and run by the people of the United States of America.
The wise men who forged a new nation, did so without selfish motives and with foresight to create a document that held up for future generations. By seeking wisdom from political theorists from the past, combined with the experience and wisdom from the leaders from each state, the U.S. Constitution stands the test of time, while continuing to strive to allow citizens the “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” our Founders fought so hard to provide.