The Enlightenment is often defined as a cultural, intellectual, and philosophical movement in the eighteenth century that brought forth new ideas, many of which proved to be political. The Social Contract, written by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, addresses the concern of the amount of power that a state holds over an individual. Popular sovereignty is an Enlightenment idea that stems from the Social Contract by claiming that political power is in the hands of “the people,” rather than the state. Another important political Enlightenment idea is individual freedom, specifically in the economic world through the idea of free trade. Inspired by Adam Smith’s ideas of free exchange, free trade (or laissez-faire) called for free markets, free labor, and no tariffs, quotas or fees, in order to create efficient economic growth. Both of these very important Enlightenment ideas built much of the framework for the republican government of the United
The Enlightenment is often defined as a cultural, intellectual, and philosophical movement in the eighteenth century that brought forth new ideas, many of which proved to be political. The Social Contract, written by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, addresses the concern of the amount of power that a state holds over an individual. Popular sovereignty is an Enlightenment idea that stems from the Social Contract by claiming that political power is in the hands of “the people,” rather than the state. Another important political Enlightenment idea is individual freedom, specifically in the economic world through the idea of free trade. Inspired by Adam Smith’s ideas of free exchange, free trade (or laissez-faire) called for free markets, free labor, and no tariffs, quotas or fees, in order to create efficient economic growth. Both of these very important Enlightenment ideas built much of the framework for the republican government of the United