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Hobbes
Hobbs believed in the idea of absolute monarchy. Hobbs, much like Rousseau, believed there was a social contract between the people and the government. (Byrd) -
Locke
Locke says that people are born with three basic rights; life, liberty, and property. He also says that the government should protect these rights. (Byrd) -
Montesquieu
Montesquieu said that the government should be separated into different branches, the legislative, executive, and judicial. (Byrd) -
Voltaire
Voltaire believed that the government and the church should be separated. "The state, or the government, should be seperate from any kind of religious practice." (Byrd) -
Rousseau
Rousseau believed there should be a "social contract" between the government and the people. (Byrd) -
Americans Fight for Liberty
Americans fought for liberty during the American Revolution, liberty was one of the basic rights that Locke says people are born with. Americans fought for this liberty during battles such as the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Saratoga, and the Battle of Trenton. (British LIbrary) -
A Social Contract
The founding fathers were heavily influenced by the writings of Rousseau, as said in Thought Co. article written by Martin Kelly; "The idea of the social contract had a huge impact on the Founding Fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The U.S. Constitution itself starts with the three words, "We the people..." embodying this idea of popular sovereignty in the very beginning of this key document."(Kelly). -
Separation of Powers
The United States Constitution outlines the separation of powers into the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch. After winning the war America needed to outline their laws and beliefs, they did so in the Constitution, one of the things they outlined was the separation of powers. (British Library) -
Church and State Separation
In the Constitution of the United States, it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (Amendment I) meaning that the government cannot have ties to any religion, displaying the separation of church and state Voltaire wrote about. -
Works Cited
"A Timeline of the American Revolution from 1763 - 1787." The British Library. The British Library, 08 June 2016. Web. 20 May 2017. Kelly, Martin. "What's the Social Contract Mean for the Political System?" ThoughtCo. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 May 2017. Jeremyange91. "Enlightenment Thinkers." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 May 2017.
