What enlightenment was used in the Declaration of Independence?

The Enlightenment was critical in many aspects of the colonial America way of life, which commonly affected the politics, government and religion. Without these principles of understanding and the new way of thinking, the United States would have drastically been different since those ideas shaped the country in its infant years. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was overwhelmingly influenced by The Enlightenment both during and after the American Revolution. Many different concepts came from this new governmental structure such as, freedom of oppression and natural rights. These concepts were influenced by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Isaac Newton where they helped set a clear path for colonial and present America to follow. This had an enormous influence on not only the way of…show more content…
With this awakening came as a better understanding for people to choose how they have a relationship with their god. Instead of having an all-powerful church that would most always require some sort of membership, they allowed the people to choose their own church and join at free will. This gave the people the right to maintain the relationship with god in however the pleased. The leaders of the colonies were still very religious but used these influential views from The Enlightenment to establish a free will of religion instead of being tied down to one religious authority. It’s a known fact that the key figures in helping shape the United States such as Thomas Jefferson were greatly influenced by the ideas and concepts of The Enlightenment. Jefferson was a Virginian statesman, scientist, diplomat and overall a very well educated and practical man. With his clear and level views he became the author of The Declaration of Independence. This document would go on to change the new world for the better of its citizens and allow The Enlightenment ideas to live

The Enlightenment era ushered in a series of sweeping changes in both Europe and the English Colonies in America. Both the American and French Revolutions were greatly influenced by ideas that came from the Enlightenment period.

A few of the main ideas in particular of the Enlightenment philosophers had the biggest impact.

These include:

Natural Rights

Natural rights, as explained by John Locke, greatly influenced both of these revolutions. In America, the Declaration of Independence drew heavily from John Locke, most importantly the famous phrase, “life, liberty and happiness.” Natural rights are also guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. In France, natural rights were the foundation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, a document about human rights during the French Revolution.

This is a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

The leaders that supported freedom in American revolutionary times used the Enlightenment as a foundation. When the Second Continental Congress met on July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration, Jefferson made references to the beliefs of the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke. In perhaps the most famous line of the Declaration, Jefferson stated protection of natural rights "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". John Locke years before stated belief in natural rights, including "life, liberty, and property". The similarity between the two men's ideas is no accident. The main purpose of the Declaration was to tell King George that his rule over the colonies was unfair and that they refuse to belong to Britain anymore. This document, shipped overseas to the king, was what eventually sparked the American Revolution. The Second Continental Congress decided that each state should begin training an army.

This is Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration.

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The Declaration of Independence reflects a great extent the values of Enlightenment. The Declaration of Independence is a formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson asserting freedom from Great Britain. The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe. The Enlightenment brought ideas of scientific reasoning over religious reasoning which propelled a huge transition in American views. The movement stimulated religious tolerance and democratic revolutions around the world. Most of the Enlightenment ideas reflected in the Declaration of Independence are from John Locke’s point of thinking. Locke believed that human nature allowed people to be selfish and are born a blank slate (Jayne). All people are equal in a natural state and independent, besides everyone has a natural right to defend “life, liberty, health, or possessions.” Most of Locke’s ideas on enlightenment are fundamentals of government. He states that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God has made all people naturally subject to a monarch.

According to Locke, people consent to the government for the protection of their natural rights. From the Declaration, a strong point is based on the idea presented before… stated by Thomas Jefferson, “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.” Another key idea of the Enlightenment is the reason as demonstrated by the separation of scientific reasoning over religious reasoning; divine force makes human’s human and destroys intolerance (Jayne). Also, “happiness is achieved if you live by nature’s laws- you don’t have to wait for heaven.” In the Declaration, this statement is based on the reasoning idea of enlightenment- “In the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires to declare the causes that impel separation.”

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The Social Contract was written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and according to him it is between the government and the people, although the ideas are based on three enlightenment thinkers – Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Rousseau. The Social Contract has also been reflected in the Declaration of Independence. This is the idea where people get together and agree to give up some of their freedoms so the government can protect their truly important freedoms. Rousseau asserts an idea of popular sovereignty in the Social Contract which also appears in the Declaration of Independence by stating constitutional governments are such “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.” Popular Sovereignty is the belief that the authority and legitimacy of government are created by the will or consent of its people. Most importantly the people are the source of all political power (Jayne). “It is the right of the people to alter or abolish and to institute new Government,” is a prime example of an idea of the social contract presented in the Declaration of Independence. Enlightenment ideas had a major impact and influence on the thoughts of the Declaration of Independence. Multiple strong ideas are present throughout the Declaration connected to concepts related to enlightenment ideas. Thomas Jefferson based his thoughts on the visions of John Locke and enlightenment thinkers to compose this document of independence.