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Enlightenment And Bill Of Rights

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Enlightenment And Bill Of Rights
Squeeze Question: What aspects of the Enlightenment are found in the Constitution of the USA & Bill of Rights; Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizens?

The age of enlightenment began with the belief in laws of nature which was discovered by Isaac Newton through the laws of gravity. This discovery resulted in a mechanical view of the universe that is operated according to fixed laws. Natural laws are rules discoverable by reason & therefore men should use natural laws to better understand social, economic & political problems & altogether govern human behavior. Laws of nature also give people rights of life, liberty & property to build a society with rationality. This Scientific Revolution kicked in the age of enlightenment …show more content…
Some aspects of Enlightenment can be found in the content of these 2 documents. Firstly, the aspect of freedom or individual liberty is visible in both the documents. The freedom for man to argue against the authority, the freedom to express, the freedom to pursue happiness are all the ways to grow out from the “immaturity” & practice one’s use of rationality. The philosopher during Enlightenment, John Locke, wrote his Second Treatise On Civil Government which contained much of the concepts used in the Constitution. Locked believed that all people are born equal & that “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness” are “truths to be self-evident”. His political theory defended the doctrine of human liberty & natural rights of “life, liberty & property” that were echoed in the Constitution & the Bill of Rights. For instance, the Bill of Rights protects the human freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms & freedom to vote. Furthermore, his theory stated that government should have no place to intrude or influence human behavior, only natural laws could govern the human
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