The Influence of John Locke Essay Example

John Locke was influential for many different reasons including his social contract theory, his influence on the American Revolution and the founding fathers, as well as his theory of natural rights and its influence on the world. John Locke is known for many more of his achievements and influences yet I have chosen to include these as they are some of his most notable works. The statement that John Locke was the most important figure of the enlightenment is valid because of his social contract theory, natural rights, as well as influencing the formation of the United States.

John Locke was influential through his social contract theory, which states that rational people should believe in organized government, and if said government isn't upholding your rights you are obligated to overthrow that government. This theory, and many other versions stemming from this concept, have been extremely influential in the creation of many countries that we see today. One example of a country who’s foundation was heavily based on the social contract and its principles is the United States. Another country influenced by the social contract is the country of France. The social contract, specifically the part stating that a government that is not upholding your rights deserves to be overthrown, influenced the people of France to rebel after their king was living an extravagant life while the people of France were literally starving. The people took it upon themselves to overthrow the monarchy and create a government that served their needs. John Locke's influence on the social contract as we know it today is substantial and the influence of the social contract itself is extremely important.

John Locke was influential to the formation of the United States because of his many different theories such as his theory of natural rights. John Locke's theory of natural rights are rights that everyone globally has from birth. The rights that these natural rights entail are the rights to property, life, and liberty. The founding fathers took the theory of natural rights and they heavily implicated it in the bill of rights, one example of this being the quote “That right of liberty is the right to do all those things which do not harm others life, property, or equal liberty.” Another theory that John Locke helped build on is the social contract theory which was heavily used by the founding fathers during their revolution. Many people say that the social contract theory is the theory that inspired them to rebel against England, which is very feasible as the social contract theory states that if a government is not upholding your rights you have the right to overthrow said government.

John Locke was influential for the theory of his natural rights sometimes called inalienable rights, which include life liberty, and property. This was influential because the thought that these ideas are a birthright inspired many people to start thinking of their governments in a new way as well as thinking of how they live their lives. These new thoughts influenced many different thinkers of the enlightenment such as some of the founding fathers like Jefferson and Paine, who wrote the book Common Sense which culminated the ideas from the natural rights theory as well as some of the social contract. John Locke's natural rights heavily influenced the constitution most notably in the quote “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In this quote it directly references John Locke's natural rights, it is believed that Jefferson included the phrase “pursuit of happiness to describe freedom of opportunity and wellbeing. These influences of the natural rights theory can still be seen today in many of our laws and even our daily life, one example of which would be the first amendment which allows us to question our own government, another example would be our justice system which protects our right to liberty as well as in some cases protects our right to life. From these real-life examples, the natural rights theory isn't just some theory we learn about in history class but it is also a part of our everyday life.

Option 1 From the achievements, influence, and accomplishments of John Locke, including but not limited to, the social contract theory, the theory of natural rights, and the influence on the foundation of the united states, it can be concluded that John Locke was the most important figure of the enlightenment era. 

Option 2 John Locke is the most important figure of the enlightenment. This can be proven through his contributions to the social contract theory. John Locke can also be considered greatly influential to the American Revolution, the founding fathers, as well as the French Revolution. For these reasons, it can be concluded without a doubt that John Locke was the most important figure of the enlightenment.