Big Question: Who influenced Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the founding fathers to get independence from Great Britain? Thomas Paine and John Locke

No, not that John Locke!

The Ideas of John Locke John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas influenced the American belief in self-government.

The Ideas of John Locke Locke wrote that: All people are free, equal, and have “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property that rulers cannot take away. Government and people in a contract: People agree to respect the laws Government agrees to respect people’s rights

Locke’s Social Contract

The Ideas of John Locke Government and people are in a contract People respect/follow laws Government respects peoples’ rights If the government violates people’s rights, that government has lost its right to govern the people Therefore, people have nnn the right to overthrow their government

Thomas Paine and Common Sense Thomas Paine was an English immigrant to America who produced a pamphlet known as Common Sense that challenged the rule of the American colonies by the King of England Common Sense was read and acclaimed by many American colonists during the mid-1700s and contributed to independence from Britain

Common Sense (Jan. 1776)

So what did Common Sense say? All men are created equal; therefore, kings and queens should not be in power American colonies should have an American Constitution; British laws only benefit Britain America is not just a British nation; it’s a nation of other immigrants and nations in power (Netherlands, France, Germany, etc.) If England goes to war, the colonies suffer. Why?

Paine’s best argument? Even if Britain were the "mother country" of America, that made her actions all the more horrendous. In other words, what mother would treat her children so badly?