The Influence Of John Locke On The Constitution

The Founders were forward thinking, educated men that wanted to spread Enlightenment to the New World. When drafting the Constitution, the Founder wanted to incorporate the Philosophical idea of some great thinkers; one such philosopher was John Locke. John Locke believed that the government’s power should be limited, meaning “strong enough to protect the interest of the people, but not strong enough to threaten those rights.” This philosophy is spelled out in the Ninth of Constitution. The Ninth Amendment states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain tights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” In other words, there are other rights people are entitled, aside from those clearly listed in the Constitution, and even though these rights are not detailed, it does not give the government the right to violate them.

This relates directly to the Locke philosophy of Natural Rights, in where individuals have the right to pursue his or her own good without hindrance, this also includes unlawful hindrance of the government. As stated in Understanding American Government, Locke felt government must promised both “freedom to” and “freedom from.” In summary, I feel the most important contribution came from Locke’s philosophy because he felt the government must protect the people’s interest. His philosophy made it so that people have the freedom to be expressive individuals while being ensured that they are protect from persecution.