How Did Thomas Paine Influence The Declaration Of Independence
Thomas Jefferson may have written the Declaration of Independence, but he could not have accomplished such a feat without the help of Thomas Paine and John Locke. Both Locke and Paine were some of the most influential men in the early years of American history. Paine wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet that challenged the rule of the American colonies by England. Locke wrote “Two Treatises of Government.” The second treatise was the most influential to the Declaration and it is focused on the Theory of Civil Society. These are the men that gave early American colonists the drive to independence and made America what it is today.
Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, a 79-page pamphlet, grasped the attention of many and later influenced …show more content…
One such thing that was similar to the works of Thomas Paine and John Locke would be the line that states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness….That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” (Jefferson). Jefferson’s line relating to the equality of all men was taken from Locke’s idea that no person should have authority over another because all men are created equal. “The state of nature is also a state of equality. No one has more power or authority than another. Since all human beings have the same advantages and the use of the same skills, they should be equal to each other” (Locke). Additionally, Jefferson develops his ideas of “unalienable rights,” again, from John Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government.” Locke states that, “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it. Reason is the law. It teaches that all men are equal and independent, and that no one ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possessions” (Locke). Jefferson takes his statement about life, liberty, and possessions, and forms what he calls the “unalienable rights” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense, a 79-page pamphlet, grasped the attention of many and later influenced …show more content…
One such thing that was similar to the works of Thomas Paine and John Locke would be the line that states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness….That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” (Jefferson). Jefferson’s line relating to the equality of all men was taken from Locke’s idea that no person should have authority over another because all men are created equal. “The state of nature is also a state of equality. No one has more power or authority than another. Since all human beings have the same advantages and the use of the same skills, they should be equal to each other” (Locke). Additionally, Jefferson develops his ideas of “unalienable rights,” again, from John Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government.” Locke states that, “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it. Reason is the law. It teaches that all men are equal and independent, and that no one ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possessions” (Locke). Jefferson takes his statement about life, liberty, and possessions, and forms what he calls the “unalienable rights” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of