Enlightenment thinkers possessed great ideas involving civil liberties which were interpreted and demonstrated into the foundation of the American Revolution.
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John Locke
John Locke believed that people could learn from their experiences and learn from their mistakes. He was also another big believer of humans having three natural rights. These rights consist of Life, Liberty, and Property. (Nicholoson 90). -
Voltaire
Voltaire believed in freedom of speech and the separation of church and state. It led to more tolerance of other religions in those countries and eliminated discrimination and corruption. (Black and Beck 641). -
Montesquieu
Montesquieu had a belief of a strong government to an extent. He felt a separation of power would be most effective. The three branches were born; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. (Black and Beck 641). -
Beccaria
Beccaria was a philosopher in the enlightenment. He was a firm believer in abolishing torture. He thought any who were accused had there own rights.(Black and Beck 641). -
First Acts of Rebellion
The first act of rebelling was after the Boston massacre. This took place when a band of Bostonians dressed as Native Americans. They began boarding British ships and pouring 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. (Newsela 3). -
Declaration was Born
The Declaration first came about from the Constitutional Congress. This gave the rights of life, liberty, and property to the people in the colonies. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and a committee of men. This was a final step to what the Congress created for the colonial people. (Newsela 4). -
Rousseau
Rousseau was a believer in the social contract or the construction between the government and its people. This then giving people the right to rebel if these requirements weren't met. This was the same concept as the Declaration of Independence. (Nicholoson 90). -
Raynal
Raynal was one of the biggest impacts on the enlightenment. Raynals book forced his exile in 1781 because of his radical tone. The work contained three main ideas. These ideas were, the invalidity of slavery, the freedom of will, and sympathy towards a violent revolution. Raynal was the first act of rebellion for what he believed in. (Nicholoson 91). -
Public Election
The first public election was held January 7, 1789. This did not only have the first public presidential election but also the first public election for congress. this idea was brought up from a philosopher named Rousseau. (Black and Beck 641). -
System of Government
The system of government was brought about through ideas from a philosopher named Montesquieu. It was believed that the best government was split into three separate branches. France, United States, and Latin American nations used separation of powers in the new constitution. (Black and Beck 641). -
Abolishment of Torture
Beccaria was the first known impact on abolishing torture. Torture was believed to be uncivilized and that all people had there own rights. The bill of rights came about with many philosophers ideas being proposed, including Beccaria. (Black and Beck 641). -
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech was believed to be one of the many rights humans obtained. The idea to make this a natural human right came from a philosopher named Voltaire. The Bill of Rights provides for freedom of speech and religion. (Black and Beck 641).
