Meghan Beatty 3a

The American Republic

The enlightenment changed the way people thought in the 1700s,. People started using reason to answer their questions as well as logic to explain why they thought as they did. The enlightenment inspired numerous ideas in great minds, including Montesquieu, Locke, and Rousseau. The enlightenment greatly influenced numerous aspects of the revolutionary movement in Britains American colonies, including natural rights, limited power, and freedom of speech. If it hadnt been for the ideas that came to pass during the enlightenment, many aspects of Americas constitution would not be as they are today. The natural rights of man were an idea first presented by John Locke. He believed that man was basically good and entitled to the right of life, liberty, and property. Though Americans changed that concept to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the idea is, essentially, the same. Man is born with certain rights from birth, and when the government breaches those rights, they should no longer be in power. The people then have a right to overthrow that government. The idea of natural rights influenced the base of the Declaration of Independence. All men that are born have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. John Locke also argued the point of limited powers in government. He believed that the best kind of government had limited power. The United States government today is set up with limited power. There are three branches of government: judicial, executive, and legislative.

Each of these has limited power, and has a system of checks and balances with each other. This keeps it so that no one branch of government has too much power. One person with too much power is often times corrupted, and that is one of the many reasons of why John Locke rejected the idea of absolute monarchy. The United States government setup of limited power and a three-branch government was influenced greatly by the ideals of John Locke. Voltaire first came out with the idea of freedom of thought. That is, he was the first to act on that idea. Throughout his life, he used wit and said exactly what he thought, targeting government, inequality, and superstition. He inspired the thought of free speech in the American Revolution. The first amendment in the Bill of Rights states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Voltaire defended the principle of freedom of speech throughout his life, and was a great influence in one of the most crucial amendments of the Bill of Rights. The thinkers of the enlightenment had a profound effect on the American Revolution. Many of the ideas found in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence, were first started by enlightened thinkers. They fought for the things they believed in and fearlessly shared their thoughts with the world, influencing numerous laws as well as government setup in the United States. The enlightenment greatly influenced numerous aspects of the revolutionary movement in Britains American colonies, including natural rights, limited power, and freedom of speech. If it hadnt been for the enlightenment, it is likely that

the United States would be very different than it is today, and citizens wouldnt have the happiness that comes with the freedoms that they are blessed to have in their lives.