Patriot leaders were influenced by political ideas of the Enlightenment or Age of Reason, a late 17th century and 18th century movement that emphasized science and reason as key to improving society. Political thinking was evolving in Europe as the Enlightenment thinkers published their work. The Founding Fathers had read the writings of these philosophers and had lived under a governmental system that was the product of centuries of evolving government in England. The United States government created in 1787 is a product of all these influences. Show John Locke John Locke (1632-1704). John Locke is thought to be the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers. In his famous essay, The Second Treatise on Government, Locke suggested the theory of natural rights, which stated that citizens have the right to revolt and to replace their government if it does not protect their natural rights. American patriot leaders used Locke's ideas as the basis of their arguments to cut colonial ties with Great Britain and declare independence. Thomas HobbesThomas Hobbes (1588-1679). Thomas Hobbes was an English political philosopher that believed mankind was naturally wicked and selfish. He believed nations, like people, were selfishly motivated to gain power and wealth. Therefore governments were created to protect people from themselves. This idea became known as the social contract theory. Read "Thomas Hobbes" to learn more about this Enlightenment philosopher and his contributions to American democracy. Thomas Hobbes' Social Contract TheoryFrontispiece of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan by Abraham Bosse (1651). Thomas Hobbes was one of the first philosophers to theorize on the social contract. The theory suggests that man without government is in a "state of nature" where the individual is at risk of losing life, liberty, and property. Without a government to protect the individual, life is “nasty, brutal, and short.” With a social contract the people surrender power to the state for protection from others who would do harm. Read Britannica: Social contract to learn more. MontesquieuCharles de Montesquieu (1689-1755). Charles de Montesquieu declared that power should not be concentrated in the hands of any one individual and that a government elected by the people was best. He recommended separating power among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Montesquieu's ideas about the separation of powers became the basis for the Constitution. Watch Enlightenment Philosophers (3:23) to learn more about Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. Click here to view the instructions for logging in to Discovery Education Streaming videos. Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated that society should be ruled by the "general will" of the people. In other words, he believed in popular sovereignty – the right of the people to govern themselves. His work was dominated by the desire to find a way to preserve human freedom. He believed humans are increasingly dependent on others for the satisfaction of their needs and saw this as a threat to freedom. He disagreed with Hobbes on the view that handing over the right to rule to someone else was beneficial. He saw this as a form of slavery. The Great AwakeningGeorge Whitefield preaching a sermon. As new political ideas emerged during the Enlightenment, religious renewal began to take place at nearly the same time during the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was a revival of religious feelings that occurred in the colonies in the early to mid-1700s. It was a result of many ministers leading revivals designed to renew colonists who had fallen away from the faith of their Puritan ancestors. Leaders of the Great AwakeningJonathon Edwards. Jonathan Edwards was the minister whose preaching in the 1730s caused the great explosion of religious feelings resulting in the Great Awakening. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is perhaps his best-known sermon. George Whitefield. George Whitefield was an itinerant, or traveling, preacher, who preached revivals during the Great Awakening. These revivals led to greater support and more tolerance for new denominational choices such as Baptists and Methodists. The Great AwakeningThe Great Awakening energized people to speak for themselves and rely less on the traditional authority of ministers and books. The Great Awakening also had long-term social and political effects like the revolutionary idea of equality which led to the American Revolution. Read Great Awakening to learn more. Page 2
To access the material on PBS Learning Media, you will need the PBS login information.
The popular sovereignty principle is one of the underlying ideas of the United States Constitution, and it argues that the source of governmental power (sovereignty) lies with the people (popular). This tenet is based on the concept of the social contract, the idea that government should be for the benefit of its citizens. If the government is not protecting the people, says the Declaration of Independence, it should be dissolved. That idea evolved through the writings of Enlightenment philosophers from England—Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and John Locke (1632–1704)—and from Switzerland—Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778). Thomas Hobbes wrote The Leviathan in 1651, during the English Civil War, and in it, he laid out the first basis of popular sovereignty. According to his theory, human beings were selfish and if left alone, in what he called a "state of nature," human life would be "nasty, brutish, and short." Therefore, to survive people give over their rights to a ruler who provides them with protection. In Hobbes' opinion, an absolute monarchy provided the best form of security. John Locke wrote Two Treatises on Government in 1689, in response to another paper (Robert Filmer's Patriarcha) which argued that kings have a "divine right" to rule. Locke said that the power of a king or government doesn't come from God, but comes from the people. People make a "social contract" with their government, trading away some of their rights to the ruler in exchange for security and laws. In addition, Locke said, individuals have natural rights including the right to hold property. The government does not have the right to take this away without their consent. Significantly, if a king or ruler breaks the terms of the "contract"—by taking away rights or taking away property without an individual's consent—it is the right of the people to offer resistance and, if necessary, depose him. Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract in 1762. In this, he proposes that "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." These chains are not natural, says Rousseau, but they come about through the "right of the strongest," the unequal nature of power and control. According to Rousseau, people must willingly give legitimate authority to the government through a "social contract" for mutual preservation. The collective group of citizens who have come together must make the laws, while their chosen government ensures their daily implementation. In this way, the people as a sovereign group look out for the common welfare as opposed to the selfish needs of each individual. The idea of popular sovereignty was still evolving when the founding fathers were writing the US Constitution during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In fact, popular sovereignty is one of six foundational principles on which the convention built the US Constitution. The other five principles are a limited government, the separation of powers, a system of checks and balances, the need for judicial review, and federalism, the need for a strong central government. Each tenet gives the Constitution a basis for authority and legitimacy that it uses even today. Popular sovereignty was often cited before the US Civil War as a reason why individuals in a newly organized territory should have the right to decide whether or not the practice of enslavement should be allowed. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was based on the idea—that people have a right to "property" in the form of enslaved people. It set the stage for a situation that became known as Bleeding Kansas, and it is a painful irony because certainly Locke and Rousseau would not agree that people are ever considered property. As Rousseau wrote in "The Social Contract": "From whatever aspect we regard the question, the right of slavery is null and void, not only as being illegitimate, but also because it is absurd and meaningless. The words slave and right contradict each other, and are mutually exclusive."
|
Proposed the idea of natural rights and popular sovereignty
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 comojogaruno Inc.
