CarlyJerstad

Mrs.Myers
APGovernment
7August,2014

AnalyticalEssay
FromthemomentthepioneersofAmericasteppedofftheship,theybeganthe
ultimatefightforfreedom.HavingjustfledfromreligiouspersecutioninGreatBritain,
theearlysettlersofAmericaknewwhatitwasliketofaceanunrulygovernment.Three
premierescholarsfromacrosstheglobe,throughtheirworks,unwittinglyhelpedshape
thefuturegovernmentofAmerica.Thesedocumentshelpedtheoriginalthirteen
coloniesescapethepaintheyhadexperiencedunderGreatBritainsmonarchy.
JohnLockesviewsinhiswork
TheSecondTreatiseofCivilGovernment
wasa
majorinfluencein

ThomasPaines
CommonSense.
HisworkexplainedtheLawsof
Natureandthatallmenareequalatbirth.Healsoexplainsthatwhensomeoneofthe
legislativetakesituponhimselftomakealawwithoutbeingappointed,thecitizensdo
nothavetoobeysaidlaw.Thelegislativemustworkasacommunitybecauseifan
individualusesforceinordertoimposealaw,thepeopleofthelegislativemightquarrel
withoneanother.Lockesideasweresomethingthatmanyandmostscholarsagreed
with.HiswritingontheideasofmonarchiesbecamethefoundationforMontesquieu,
RousseauandtheDeclarationsofIndependence.

BarondeMontesquieusexperiencesintheFrenchRevolutionwassomething
thatencouragedhimtoexpresshispoliticalviews.Montesquieuexplainsrepeatedlythe
ideaofkeepingbothlegislativeandexecutivefunctionsincheck.Ifbothdidnothave
thepowertoholdoneanotheraccountable,bothcouldtakeoverandhaveabsolute
power.ThiswasalsosomethingthatLockeexpressed.Montesquieu,likeLocke,didnot
approveofthemonarchy.Hisviewsonbalancingpoweramongthebrancheswasalso
anideathatprovedvitalforthefutureAmericanGovernment.
JeanJacquesRousseaus
TheSocialContract
washighlyrespectedbyhis
peers.Thisdocumentwasfamousforthequestionofhowdoesonemanfindhimself
freeoneday,yetinchainsthenext?Rousseaubelievedthatnomanshouldhave
differentrightsorauthoritiesthananyothermaninthecommunity.Thebenefitsinclude
sharedequalityandconditionsamongall,andthateachpersonhasrightsasan
individualandrightsasacommunitytoensureeveryoneisonthesameplayingfield.
ThisconceptwasbasedoffoftheNaturalRights,whichwasoriginallystatedbyLocke
in
TheSecondTreatiseofCivilGovernment
.
Allthreeofthesemeninfluencedthewritingof
CommonSense,TheVirginia
DeclarationofRights,
and
TheDeclarationofIndependence
.Theideasthatmenare
createdfree,equal,andindependentisarecurringthemethroughoutallofthese
documents.PainebelievesthatAmericaisdoingjustfinewithoutBritainandthat
insteadofprotectingAmerica,Britainisonlywatchingoverus.Healsobelievesthatif
AmericansremainattachedtoBritainthesameproblemsthathavehappenedinthe
pastwillbecertaintohappenagain.HestatesthatAmericacouldstarttheirownNavy,

ofequalsize,inordertodefendthemselvestherefore,nolongerneedingtheBritishto
lookoverthem.PainesideasstirreduptheAmericanpeopleandencouragedthemto
fightforfreedom,therebyinfluencingtheAmericanRevolution.WithouttheAmerican
Revolution,ThomasJeffersonwouldnthavewrittenTheDeclarationofIndependence.
TheDeclarationofIndependencewasadocumentthatshapedAmerica.Thomas
Jeffersonwouldnothavebeenabletowritesuchadocumentwithoutthehelpfromhis
fellowscholarsJohnLocke,BarondeMontesquieu,JeanJacquesRousseau,and
ThomasPaine.Theirideasaboutdifferentdemocraciesthatworkforthepeopleinstead
ofsimplyagainstthemsparkedtheideaofagovernmentthatwasforthepeople,by
thepeople,andofthepeople.Thisissomethingourcountrysgovernmentisbased
upon.Thesescholarslearnedfrompastmistakestohelpshapetheiridealform
government.Agovernmentthatstrivestoprotectlife,libertyandthepursuitof
happiness.AgovernmentthatisseeninAmericatoday.

Sources
"TheEnlightenmentinFrance:Montesquieu,Voltaire,Rousseau,theEncyclopedistsand
NicholasDeCondorcet."
TheEnlightenmentinFrance:Montesquieu,Voltaire,Rousseau,the
EncyclopedistsandNicholasDeCondorcet
.FrankESmitha,n.d.Web.09Aug.2014.