United States Adopts Ideas of Enlightenment Philosophes

Tess Hoffmann

During the 1700s, a movement known as the Enlightenment occurred and philosophers

such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu began examining the world through

reason, rather than religious or spiritual faith. The Enlightenment Period introduced new

ideas that were used by our Founding Fathers in the creation of important documents such as the

Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These ideas greatly influenced men such

as Thomas Jefferson who was an author of these documents. I argue that the United States

adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers by the thoughts of John Locke,

Montesquieu, and Voltaire. These men were the main contributors of adopted ideas from the

Enlightenment period, as well as individuals who greatly changed our world with their ideas. I

will prove this by reviewing the ideas of each of these men and how they were used in important

documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The United States adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers through John

Locke. World History: Connections to Today states, “John Locke was one of the most important

contributors to the Declaration of Independence.” He redefined the nature of the government,

and was strongly against tyranny. According to Locke, the job of a government was to protect

the natural rights of the people, which Locke summarized as life, liberty, and property. He also

thought that if the government would fail to protect these rights, its citizens would have the right

to overthrow that government. John Locke also proposed the idea that people are the ultimate

rulers of themselves and have the right to represent themselves or elect others to do so. These

ideas proposed by Locke deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson when he drafted the Declaration of

Independence in June, 1776. The Declaration of Independence states that people have rights
because they are human, that these rights are not given to them by the government, and that they

cannot be taken away from them. This document also states that a government is legitimate only

if people consent to be ruled by it and that a government cannot force its will on the people.

Jefferson changed the human rights identified by Locke to read life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness.

Second, the United States adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers through

Montesquieu. He influenced the separation of government, stating that if governments were

divided into different parts, one group would not have all the power. Therefore, he thought the

best way to protect liberty was to divide the government into three branches: Legislative,

Executive, and Judicial. According to Enlightenment Influence on America.com, “Montesquieu

introduced the idea of checks and balances to ensure that one branch of government did not have

too much power.” Many people considered that his idea was brilliant. Therefore, this idea was

put into the Constitution. The first three Articles of the Constitution establish the three branches

of government. The Legislative Branch consists of the US Congress which makes the laws for

the United States. The Executive Branch consists of the President, Vice President, and Cabinet,

who carry out the laws made by Congress. The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court

which decides court cases according the US Constitution.

Finally, the United States adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers through

Voltaire. Voltaire was one of the most famous Enlightenment philosophers. He targeted corrupt

officials and aristocrats in France. He made attacks on the Catholic Church and Christianity to

defend people and their rights. World History: Connections to Today states, “He also defended

the idea of freedom of speech; he thought everyone should have rights for speech and also

defended religious freedom.” Voltaire’s writings had an influence on many people. Therefore,
he was the main contributor to the Constitution for freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.

According to “A Summary of the US Constitution.com”, the First Amendment to the US

Constitution reads that, “People have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the

press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the Government”.

In conclusion, the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers were important to every

characteristic of life in Colonial America, especially in the area of politics, government, and

religion. Important ideas about human and natural rights, expression of freedom, and the rights

of citizens, are all still significant in American life today. In addition, the separation of powers

identified by Montesquieu has become the basis of our government structure. These ideas were

used by our Founding Fathers in important documents such as the Constitution and the

Declaration of Independence. Without these philosophers of the Enlightenment and their

contributions, our country could be very different than it is today.