Locke Influence on Dec of Independence
Keith G. Betts
James Olney
Democracy in Troubled Times
Saint Leo University
November 2, 2014
John Jockes Influence on the American Declaration of Independence
When Thomas Jefferson was drafting the American Declaration of Independence, he looked to a number of philosophers and studied their writings. This helped him put into words the best possible foundation for the United States of America. One of the main influencers of Jefferson’s writing was a person he called one of the “three greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception”, (Jefferson, Thomas) the English philosopher John Locke. You can see Locke’s influence in the American Declaration, when Jefferson penned “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (The Declaration of Independence) These words in the declaration have the same tone as Locke’s words in the Second Treatise of Government when he stated “a legitimate government may not violate our natural right to life, liberty, and property.” (John Locke) It is widely reported and quoted throughout the internet, (but I have been unable to find the original source) that in one of Jefferson’s original drafts of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used Locke’s original words of: life, liberty and property. Later in his final official draft that he presented to the committee (who were: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston), Jefferson changed Locke’s “Property” to “the pursuit of Happiness.”
Another thing we see throughout the Second Treatise of Government, Locke makes thirty seven references on how important God is and the natural rights of man are. In the first paragraph of the Declaration, Jefferson also refers to Laws of nature and of nature’s God. Jefferson is trying to say that the natural law and God are important. This shows that when our government was founded during the drafting of the declaration they
James Olney
Democracy in Troubled Times
Saint Leo University
November 2, 2014
John Jockes Influence on the American Declaration of Independence
When Thomas Jefferson was drafting the American Declaration of Independence, he looked to a number of philosophers and studied their writings. This helped him put into words the best possible foundation for the United States of America. One of the main influencers of Jefferson’s writing was a person he called one of the “three greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception”, (Jefferson, Thomas) the English philosopher John Locke. You can see Locke’s influence in the American Declaration, when Jefferson penned “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (The Declaration of Independence) These words in the declaration have the same tone as Locke’s words in the Second Treatise of Government when he stated “a legitimate government may not violate our natural right to life, liberty, and property.” (John Locke) It is widely reported and quoted throughout the internet, (but I have been unable to find the original source) that in one of Jefferson’s original drafts of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used Locke’s original words of: life, liberty and property. Later in his final official draft that he presented to the committee (who were: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston), Jefferson changed Locke’s “Property” to “the pursuit of Happiness.”
Another thing we see throughout the Second Treatise of Government, Locke makes thirty seven references on how important God is and the natural rights of man are. In the first paragraph of the Declaration, Jefferson also refers to Laws of nature and of nature’s God. Jefferson is trying to say that the natural law and God are important. This shows that when our government was founded during the drafting of the declaration they