how did john locke's philosophy influence the declaration of independance?

Answer 1

Sock's answer presents a common popularized view of the Declaration - Locke connection, overstated. The ONE clear place Locke plays a role is in the rhetoric of the introductory paragraph .

This is not unimportant. BUT if should not be overlooked that the SUBSTANCE of the document --and its "legal" base-- is built on OTHER foundations.

ALSO, the suggestion that this whole idea of rule other than by "absolute monarch" is somehow new with Locke... is completely mistaken. England's Constitutional tradition has firmly established that the monarch's rule was NOT absolute.

Note that this is not to say that Locke did not influence the imagination of the founders (which, again, is important), and even some of the rhetoric of the Declaration. But, in fact, there were many other and arguably GREATER influences than Locke, most of them reaching back BEFORE Locke's writings. For that matter, it is likely that Locke himself was influenced by some of these, so that even where he influenced thinking, the ideas were NOT original with him.

In particular--

1) in the OPENING appeal of the Declaration, we see the influence of Locke's language of universal "natural rights" of man (to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness [though Locke more often emphasizes 'property' as the third]) and the notion of government being 'by the consent of the governed' (which implies, among other things, a denial of the "absolute right of kings")

BUT
2) The middle section listing "GRIEVANCES" of "ABUSES" is the "MEAT" of the document, as THE reasons justifying this particular action, and it is NOT based on Locke at all! Here the appeal is more to the "rights of Englishmen" as historically understood. These understanding are based on OTHER deep-rooted English traditions going back, at least in the view of 17th-18th century writers, to Magna Carta

More specifically, the listing of the king's violations of rights, esp as an argument for REJECTING the rule of a specific king is not from Locke, but from the "English Bill of Rights" of 1689 (a key document very familiar to colonial authors). Many of the specific abuses cited are echoed in the Declaration. (Also, the "rights" listed are echoed in both Mason's "Declaration of Rights" and the U.S. Bill of Rights, and elsewhere.) But MORE significant is that the English Bill of Rights provides the basic legal FORM and basis of argument for the Declaration.

See the English Bill of Rights -
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/england.htm

The rhetoric of the opening paragraph expands this a bit with the 'universal' language, but as a PRACTICAL matter, the heart of the argument is based on these specifics and on this particular British Constitutional tradition.

3) Some of Locke's arguments --and esp. the critical idea of "consent of the governed" were expressed and put into practice in England (and NEW England) long before Locke. That is, while his RHETORICAL way of packaging some of these things was helpful, the ideas themselves were not original with him.

In fact, the "covenant" and "compact" tradition of New England Puritans --drawn in part from their own Reformation teachings about biblical "covenant" and applied to both church and community governments-- were in many ways MORE important than Locke's writings in people's understanding of these ideas in practice (esp the common people who had not read Locke, but HAD participated in local government!)

4) Also note that Jefferson was not himself drawing DIRECTLY on Locke or other British legal and constitutional traditions. His draft echoes MANY other documents written shortly before it. Of special importance are the two parts of the first Constitution for the State of Virginia, which begins with the "Virginia Declaration of Rights" drafted by George Mason [including the Locke echoes] and Jefferson's own draft of Virginia's Constitution, which begins with a very brief intro, then a list of GRIEVANCES.
http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=105

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The VARIOUS influences on the thinking of the founders, expressed not just in the Declaration but in many other official documents and political pamphlets, was examined in a classic study by Bernard Bailyn, *The Ideological Origins of the Revolution*. In the opening chapter (worth a good look) he lays out FIVE types of influences -- Locke & other Enlightenment theorists are just one.

The rest are ancient Roman writers and:
a) history of English Common Law ESP. as understand in the 17th century,
b) radical political and social thought of the English Civil War and Commonwealth period up to the Glorious Revolution"Glorious Revolution
c) New England Puritanism's political and social theories based on their idea of "covenant" (also "compact")

As a practical matter --related to the actual PRACTICE of government -- these three are MORE important than Lockean theory.

The section "The Ideological Sources of Resistance" in the following article also lays out SOME of this (sadly missing the 'covenant' tradition)
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569964_3/American_Revolution.html

Answer 2

Describe the ways in which the political philosophies of John Locke influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Answer 3

Locke help coined the phrase "Life, liberty, and property." This phrase along with the idea that Man had certain unalienable rights due him that no leader of any country should violate had a large influence on the writer of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, who likely studied Locke while he was a diplomat to the country of France and England for the colonies in his early political days. I'm sure there are more direct quotes which Jefferson "lifted" and re-worded from Locke's writing on the state of man in accordance to Nature and government, but this is the most primary and direct example I can give you at the moment.

Answer 4

Let me build upon Trey's arguments a bit. It's important to understand the context of the world in 1776. Most governments were run by authoritarian leaders, so many political philosophers at the time had to work against the generally accepted principle of divine right--God bestowed the power upon kings...making him both a political and divine leader. So if you opposed a king, you could, by extension, be opposing God.

Locke offered a new idea...the idea that a government actually enters into a social contract with the people it governs. The contract requires people to obey their governments, but the people have an out if they believe the government is not holding up its end of the contract. So if a government is evil, wasteful, unable to protect the interests (health and well being) of its citizens, it may be "breaking the contract" and therefore the citizens have the right to resist.

Very theoretical stuff, but a powerful notion in the minds of Jefferson and other revolutionaries. Look at how the Declaration of Independence is written...Jefferson offers a long list of grievances, all with the intention of showing that the British government has broken its social contract with its colonies, and therefore, in the spirit of Locke, revolution is justified.

Answer 5

Locke believed that human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance. Locke believed that human nature allowed men to be selfish. This is apparent with the introduction of currency. In a natural state all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm another’s “life, health, liberty, or possessions.” Locke also advocated governmental checks and balances and believed that revolution is not only a right but an obligation in some circumstances. These ideas would come to have profound influence on the Constitution of the United States and its Declaration of Independence.