In 1967, Bernard Bailyn, an American Historian, published his book titled The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Throughout this piece, and specifically in chapter two, Sources and Traditions, Bailyn explores what he believes to be the causes of the Revolution, highlighting the inspirations that guided the Founders as they attempted to break free from British control. At the beginning of this chapter, Bailyn discusses and theorizes many differing sources of Revolutionary inspiration such as ancient figures, Enlightenment principles, English legal traditions, and Puritan influences. However, Bailyn challenges these ideas, arguing that while these factors were influential, they were not the primary sources of intellect for the Founders.
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What is more realistic is that opposition literature heightened the colonist's sense of rebellion, drawing on their previous frustrations, and giving them the push they needed to start the Revolution. However, regarding intellectual ideas, the clear evidence of Locke's influence suggests that his philosophy served as the primary intellectual foundation for the Revolution. The “abuse of power” quote is not the only example in the Declaration that displays a clear and explicit influence on Locke and his intellect. As a whole, one of the most well-known and cited quotes from the Declaration is, “That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration, 225). Throughout American history, this quote has been repeatedly cited to describe the rights Americans possess and their significance to the nation as a whole. However, this infamous phrase was not one that the Founders uniquely crafted to describe the rights of Americans, as they used Locke’s ideas as their primary template of …show more content…
The similarities between the Declarations’ “Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” are unarguably similar to Locke’s statement. In Carli Conklins, The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness, Conklin recognizes that this statement was direct inspiration from Locke, but analyzes the reason behind why “happiness” replaced “property” (Conklin). Conklin discusses various theories regarding the reasoning behind the replacement of "property" with "happiness" in the Declaration of Independence. A few of these theories include the Founder's attempt to avoid direct resemblance to Locke's wording, the association of "property" with slavery, and the idea that happiness aligns with the feelings of "eudaimonia", which represented flourishing and virtue (Conklin). However, when excluding the exact reason for this change, there is clear and present evidence that this was a direct, intellectual idea of John Locke. If opposition writers were truly the intellectual backbone of the Revolution, there is a chance their ideals would have been included in this statement of the Declaration, considering its
What is more realistic is that opposition literature heightened the colonist's sense of rebellion, drawing on their previous frustrations, and giving them the push they needed to start the Revolution. However, regarding intellectual ideas, the clear evidence of Locke's influence suggests that his philosophy served as the primary intellectual foundation for the Revolution. The “abuse of power” quote is not the only example in the Declaration that displays a clear and explicit influence on Locke and his intellect. As a whole, one of the most well-known and cited quotes from the Declaration is, “That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration, 225). Throughout American history, this quote has been repeatedly cited to describe the rights Americans possess and their significance to the nation as a whole. However, this infamous phrase was not one that the Founders uniquely crafted to describe the rights of Americans, as they used Locke’s ideas as their primary template of …show more content…
The similarities between the Declarations’ “Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” are unarguably similar to Locke’s statement. In Carli Conklins, The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness, Conklin recognizes that this statement was direct inspiration from Locke, but analyzes the reason behind why “happiness” replaced “property” (Conklin). Conklin discusses various theories regarding the reasoning behind the replacement of "property" with "happiness" in the Declaration of Independence. A few of these theories include the Founder's attempt to avoid direct resemblance to Locke's wording, the association of "property" with slavery, and the idea that happiness aligns with the feelings of "eudaimonia", which represented flourishing and virtue (Conklin). However, when excluding the exact reason for this change, there is clear and present evidence that this was a direct, intellectual idea of John Locke. If opposition writers were truly the intellectual backbone of the Revolution, there is a chance their ideals would have been included in this statement of the Declaration, considering its