John Locke's America

Paper Summary:

A look at the ways in which the "Second Treatise of Government" by John Locke helped form the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. It explains how people like Jefferson cited Locke's writings many times in forming their philosophy on government.

From the Paper:

""Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," from the United States Declaration of Independence, and other famous phrases from U.S. documents have become kinds of rhetorical ideals that this country is founded upon. Along with the Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence brought fruition to the beliefs of European political thought from the late 17th century. The writers of America's government documents learned from these famous theorist, and recent history in Europe, that rule by way of absolute monarchy was not the best model of government. One of the main influences of these American ideals was John Locke, whose thought is deeply rooted into this country's break from Great Britain and its formation of a democracy."

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