ENLIGHTENMENT  During the Enlightenment Period many ideas that influenced the Framers of the United States Government developed. These ideas are seen in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Enlightenment Philosophers  John Locke – natural rights, purpose of government  Montesquieu – separation of power, checks & balances

Thomas Hobbes   Author of Leviathan  Laid the foundation of social contract theory  English

Thomas Hobbes/State of Nature  Believed that a strong central government was needed to keep order and save man from himself.  Man in a State of Nature had the right to everything  This led to continuous war and violence in society. Thomas Hobbes

In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. -Thomas Hobbes on Man in a State of Nature

Hobbes/Sovereign Authority  People give up the right to make rules for themselves (sovereignty) to a greater sovereign (government)  It was the greater sovereign’s duty to use that power to ensure order and peace through any means needed

Hobbes on Social Contract

Thomas Hobbes  State of Nature  Sovereign Authority  Absolute Monarchy  NO Separation of Powers  People give up rights to government in order to live in civil society

John Locke   Developed Social Contract Theory  Tabula Rasa  Wrote “Two Treatises of Government”  Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Property  Natural Rights

John Locke/ Tabula Rasa  Means “Blank Slate”  Who people become is based on their upbringing  If a person is good it is because of how they are raised  If people are bad it is because of how they are raised  People are not “good” or “evil” it is the actions they take based on the course of their lives

John Locke/Natural Rights  Human nature characterized by reason and tolerance but also selfishness  In their natural state humans have the right to defend life, liberty, health, and possessions  These he believed were natural rights

Natural Rights  Natural Rights = Inalienable Rights  Rights that government cannot take away from you because they are given to you by god  Or  You have them simply because you exist

John Locke/ Social Contract  Humans develop government to settle disputes peacefully and protect their natural rights  From other governments and each other

Locke vs Hobbes Social Contract

John Locke/Limiting Government  While government was necessary to protecting natural rights  If government began infringing on those natural rights people had a right AND an obligation to overthrow that government

John Locke  Developed Social Contract Theory  Tabula Rasa  Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Property  Natural Rights  Right to Revolution  Limiting Government

Baron de Montesquieu   French  Wrote “The Spirit of the Laws”  Developed idea of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

Baron de Montesquieu  Three types of government:  Monarchy: Based on Laws or Honor  Republic: Based on Virtue  Despotism: Enslaved people ruled by fear

Political Liberty  To have Political Liberty/Freedom you must have three things  1. Separation of Powers  2. Appropriate Civil and Criminal Law  3. Preservation of Natural Rights  4. Rule of Law

Separation of Powers  Executive  Legislative  Judicial  Checks and Balances

Rule of Law

Jean-Jacques Rousseau  Swiss   Believed that civilization corrupted man, no that man was corrupt then became civilized

Hobbes vs Rousseau  Hobbes: Man is bad, Man doesn’t know how good he has it under government  Rousseau: Man is good, government and civilization corrupt him and make him bad

 The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody. ” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality, 1754 Discourse on Inequality Discourse on Inequality

Jean-Jacques Rousseau  The best time in man’s existence was when man had developed enough knowledge to separate himself from the animals; but before he developed enough knowledge to develop civilization

State of Nature  Is an animal bad when it attacks another animal? Or is it doing what instinct tell it to do? Man in State of Nature  Man is neither good nor bad in a State of Nature, he just does what he must to survive

Civilization Corrupts Man  Man in his State of Nature is happy  Civilization develops pride which cases man to compare himself to others  This causes inequality, envy, and greed; all unnatural behaviors that corrupt man

Rousseau’s Social Contract