The Enlightenment Thinkers impacted the American Revolution greatly, helping to improve and prevail life, creating a stable society and government, proving that life can be prosper with these ideas.
By Nikolas Rapa
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Thomas Hobbes
"Without governments to keep order, Hobbes said, there would be 'war of every man against every man.' In this state of nature, as
Hobbes called it, life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.'" (Black and Beck 551). Thomas Hobbes is saying with out a system or structure in the society, life would be death in every turn you take. Some men are evil, someone has to take care of them, that's the government, not us. -
John Locke
"According to Locke, all people are born free and equal, with three natural rights— life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government, said Locke, is to protect these rights" (Black and Beck 551). John Locke states, a government that fails to protect these three natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow the one in charge. For an example, his book called "Two Treatises on Government," gave reasons why James II should be overthrown. -
Montesquieu
"Montesquieu proposed that separation of powers would keep any
individual or group from gaining total control of the government. 'Power,' he wrote, 'should be a check to power.' Each branch of government would serve as a check on the other two" (Black and Beck 553). Montesquieu says there should be a separation in powers. The Executive, Legislative, and the Judicial. This is the US's set-up of government. This proves that Montesquieu's ideas were correct and beneficial. -
The British Control
"The legislatures were allowed to levy taxes, muster troops, and pass laws. Over time, these powers became rights in the eyes of many colonists. The British government had different ideas and attempted to curtail the powers of these newly elected bodies" (Kelly).Thomas Hobbes says that without a proper system or structure in society, death and evil are involved. This influenced the Americans that they can't be living life like this, and something has to stop the corrupted British Government. -
The System of Criminal Justice 2
British. John Locke is a major influence, he created the idea of people having the basic rights of life, liberty, and property. The people that lived and colonized America were being ordered around and commanded by the British, with that said, these people do not have liberty or property. They are not free and the most of the property they live on is owned by the British. -
The System of Criminal Justice 1
"Trade and commerce were overly controlled, the British Army made its presence known, and the local colonial government was limited by a power far across the Atlantic Ocean. If these affronts to the colonists' dignity were not enough to ignite the fires of rebellion, American colonists also had to endure a corrupt justice system" (Kelly). The British controlled the government in America, so they didn't have much power. The Americans did not have freedom, they were being order around by the...... -
The Causes of the American Revolution 1
"The American Revolution began in 1775 as an open conflict between the United Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. Many factors played a role in the colonists' desires to fight for their independence" (Kelly). Montesquieu's idea of having separation of powers helped influence the Americans to fight for their independence and create a better system than the British. Without out these ideas, our modern government would not have been the same. The American revolution and Montesquieu's ideas.... -
The Causes of the American Revolution 2
Helped form America. -
Works Cited
Kelly, Martin. “What Caused the American Revolution?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 18 Feb. 2020, www.thoughtco.com/causes-of-the-american-revolution-104860.
