During the time of the Enlightenment, many people started to question their daily lives. While the French monarchs and churches were taking total control of the people and their government, philosopher such as John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wallstonecraft started to not only question but applied logic and reason to life as they knew it, but also had similar thoughts of equality for all. Little did any of them know that their ideas would pave the way for many concepts that we still use to this day.
We start out in the year of 1690, which was eighty-six years before America's declaration of independence was first written. John Locke, who is widely known for his book "Two Treatises of Government", which contained many controversial theories that are similar to what we know today. He believed that no person was born bad, but rather as a blank slate to be molded and shaped by their own life experiences, also known as Tabula Rasa. Locke also thought that everyone was born with the natural right to life, liberty, and property. Sound familiar? This idea later influenced the structure of the government we know in …show more content…
Even though he died eleven years before the french revolution, his ideas still played a role in the causes of the event. Voltaire's main goal was to separate the church and the state. He believed that monarchs of France should not have any influence on the church, nor vice versa. He was also a firm believer in the concept of "Deism", which meant that the earth was simply created by a god who wanted nothing more than to create it, and leave it to freely thrive and prosper without their influence. The high powers of France did not only disagree but were furious with his concept. He was later exiled to Tulle, only to return to Paris and have the process repeat until he died a natural death. His ideas not only sparked a revolution but later influenced the US Constitution as
We start out in the year of 1690, which was eighty-six years before America's declaration of independence was first written. John Locke, who is widely known for his book "Two Treatises of Government", which contained many controversial theories that are similar to what we know today. He believed that no person was born bad, but rather as a blank slate to be molded and shaped by their own life experiences, also known as Tabula Rasa. Locke also thought that everyone was born with the natural right to life, liberty, and property. Sound familiar? This idea later influenced the structure of the government we know in …show more content…
Even though he died eleven years before the french revolution, his ideas still played a role in the causes of the event. Voltaire's main goal was to separate the church and the state. He believed that monarchs of France should not have any influence on the church, nor vice versa. He was also a firm believer in the concept of "Deism", which meant that the earth was simply created by a god who wanted nothing more than to create it, and leave it to freely thrive and prosper without their influence. The high powers of France did not only disagree but were furious with his concept. He was later exiled to Tulle, only to return to Paris and have the process repeat until he died a natural death. His ideas not only sparked a revolution but later influenced the US Constitution as