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Enlightenment Thinkers: Montesquieu, Locke, And Rousseau

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Enlightenment Thinkers: Montesquieu, Locke, And Rousseau
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was a result of the ideas published by the different Enlightenment thinkers. Some of the Enlightenment thinkers are Montesquieu, Locke, and Rousseau. Montesquieu came up with the separation of powers which influenced there to be a separation of powers in the Constitution. Power is divided up among three branches and those three branches use checks and balances to make sure not one branch obtains too much power. Locke came up with the social contract and natural rights which are “life, liberty, and property” which later influenced Thomas Jefferson to write “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” into the Declaration of Independence. Rousseau put the social contract into action by writing

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