Lockean Ideals in the Declaration of Independence - Literature Essay Samples

In devising the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers used the work of John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government as an ideological framework. The similarities are mainly notable in the claims against the King, but can also be found in other important respects. Locke’s concept of the state of nature is evident in the founders claims, while the influence of Locke’s ideals on political power and the function of government can be seen in the arguments presented in the Declaration. Yet the two texts diverge in important ways; the most significant difference between the two documents is that the Declaration lacks some of the extreme views that Locke takes in his discussion on the state of war. Nonetheless, it is clear that the Declaration of Independence was built on Locke’s concepts of government. John Locke’s conception of the state of nature heavily influenced the writing of the Declaration. He devotes the second chapter of the Second Treatise of Government to discussing the state he believes men are naturally born into and the rights they deserve. Here, he presents the idea that men are created as equals when he says, â€Å"because it is simply obvious that creatures of the same species and status, all born to the same advantages of nature and to use of the same abilities, should also be equal† (Locke 3). This quote has such a strong influence on the Declaration because, through stating that the equality of men is obvious, Locke has made this idea appear to be indisputable. The founding fathers desired a strong, unequivocal statement for addressing the King, so they took inspiration from the passage when writing the famous line, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal† (Declaration). This line not only delivers a po werful message, but also sets up the ideals that both drive the rest of the text and become a major part in shaping the new United States of America. The arguments made by Locke are often used to support the Declaration’s claims against the King. Beginning with the very first claim, Locke’s definition of political power is referenced. He defines political power as the right to make, regulate, and enforce laws, highlighting that political power is only meant to be used for the public good. The first claim uses this definition to support the contention that King George III has overstepped his power, as the authors state that â€Å"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good† (Declaration). This statement is in reference to the King vetoing laws that the colonies made, laws which would improve their societies. To bolster this claim, the founding fathers provide examples of how the laws made by the King have harmed the colonies. These arguments lead into the claims which concern the importance of consent when dealing with government. Two of the important ideals on government that Locke expresses are the significance of the consent of the governed and the problems inherent in monarchy. He ends his chapter on the state of nature by highlighting how consent is required by the people; as Locke says, â€Å"and I also affirm that all men are naturally in the state of nature, and remain so until they consent to make themselves members of some political society† (Locke 7). In the Declaration, the authors emphasize that the people of the colonies have not consented to the acts of the King, further supporting the notion that the king has abused his political power. This abuse is specifically noted in the claim that the King has kept troops in the colonies against the residents will. Locke would attribute this abuse of power to the problems created when one man controls the government of many. The claims provided in the Declaration exemplify the problems that Locke raises about such monarchies, as this document expli citly says, â€Å"He has made judges dependent on his will alone† (Declaration). Government with a single man in charge is subject to the bias and flaws of that single man, thus leading to the unfair and tyrannical rule of King George III over the colonies. The Declaration of Independence serves as the colonies’ proclamation of departure from the King’s rule; their citizens will enter into a new political society with ideals informed by Locke’s work. Despite many similarities between the Second Treatise of Government and the Declaration of Independence, there are a few differences between the two documents. One of these involves the rights of men, which are designated as â€Å"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† in the Declaration (Declaration). The difference here is very subtle, as Locke states that the rights of man in the state of nature are â€Å"his life, health, liberty, or possessions† (Locke 4). Though the distinction between happiness and possessions seems insignificant, it highlights the difference in values between Locke and the authors of the Declaration. Locke puts emphasis on how property and wealth are the most valuable things one can gain. The authors of the Declaration did not share this ideal and broaden it to the pursuit of happiness to accommodate a wider range of beliefs. This perspective on the rights of man would later influence the formation of the United States government, specifica lly with the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. The second and more notable difference is that the Declaration avoids some of the extreme ideals that Locke expresses in his work. Within his chapter on the state of war, Locke discusses the punishments man has the right to enforce on others for violating the laws of nature. Several of these penalties can be viewed as extreme. For example, Locke raises the possibility that the penalty for theft is death when he says, â€Å"This makes it lawful for me to kill a thief who hasn’t done me any harm or declared any plan against my life, other than using force to get me in his power so as to take away my money or whatever else he wants† (Locke 8). As examined previously, King George III had infringed upon many of the laws of nature, and therefore the founding fathers had every right to demand the death of the King according to Locke’s ideals. No such demand is present in the Declaration, though, due to the political impact that such divisive and violent rhetoric would h ave exerted. Such a demand could have created an even greater uproar from those loyal to the King and could have compromised some of the support for the founders cause. Beyond trying to avoid any chaos that a demand for death would have caused, the founding fathers do not demand the kings death in order to rise above King George III’s tyrannical rule. This departure from Locke’s influence elevates the Declaration of Independence by positioning the newly-formed government of the United States as more righteous than the rule of the King. The Second Treatise of Government had a clear influence on the authors of the Declaration of Independence. Locke’s chapter on the state of nature inspired several points in the Declaration, including its introduction and many of the claims made against the King. The founding fathers used Locke’s work to support their arguments that King George III was unfit to rule them, and used Lockes premises to set up the preliminary values of the new United States. Overall, there are several similarities between the two documents, but there are a few fundamental differences as well. Despite these variances, the Declaration of Independence makes apparent the influential role that John Lockes ideas played in the formation of government in the United States of America.

Be The Best Mother With The Mother Essay

BLOG In: Popular topics It seems that not everyone knows how to be the best mother for their children. But if you wish to know this information, you should read this article. It will give a lot of new knowledge and the children will be thankful for it. Which rules it is needed to know about? 1) Love the children You should tell the children that you love them every day. It is very important for the children to live in the family, where they can feel the love of the parents. They should see, that you can always protect them. If you have the relationships in this way from the very beginning, it can give the opportunity to avoid a lot of problems later. The detailed information is possible to find in the essay on my mother, you just need to order the essay on our site. Our professional cv writer will be glad to do it. 2) Think about the critic a lot It is possible to criticize the behavior of the children, but not the exact children. Because if you criticize the children, they can think, that they are bad and you do not like them. It is recommended to explain the behavior of the children to them and they will know about it in the future. If you explain everything, the children can make the conclusion and you will see, that you are the best mother in the world. 3) Ask everything In the evening, when the children are going to sleep, just ask them about their day. If you communicate with the children a lot, they will respect it. The children will value these moments, because they can tell you about everything, that happened with them during the whole day and they will not worry and will sleep well. If you wish to have my mom is my hero essay, our writers will be glad to write it in the shortest time. Even if you need to get the other essay, like the evolution vs creation essay, our writers will be glad to help. 4) Encourage the children If you encourage the children and help them every time they are asking you about the help, you will see, that children will be confident and will be able to reach their goals in the future. You should show them your own example and if you do not give up, your children will do in the same way. 5) Find the time Some parents can say, that they do not have a lot of free time to spend it with their own children, because they earn money for the living. But you should understand, that the children need some time and it is possible to find 20-30 minutes for them, even if you are very busy. At that time, you should see only the children, you should spend this time with them and do not do anything else. If you are interesting in this theme, you can get the my grandmother essay any time. You can check all possible essays, which were written by our writers on our site. 6) Do not have the quarrels with the children in the evening You and the children should sleep well and because of it you should not have a lot of negative emotions before you are going to sleep. 7) Show the feeling The children should express their feelings. If they do something in he wrong way, you should explain them everything and to show how it is possible to do. If the children will be more opened, you will see, that they will have a lot of friends and a lot of positive emotions. Also, people, which can show their feelings can reach their goals in the future. It is possible to read about it in the mother essay. 8) Change the language It is understandable, that you cannot speak with the children, which are 3 years old like with the children, which are 8 years old. You should change the language of the speaking when the children are older. 9) Ask the children for the help It is normal if you are asking your children for the help. They should understand, that they can do a lot of things, which are useful and which can help you. At the same time, if they are asking for the help, you need to help them. In this way you will have great relationships. Also, it is recommended to give the children the opportunity to make their own choice and it will give them confidence in the future. They will be able to accept the responsibility for their own actions and because of this fact, they will think a lot firstly about what to do. 10) Apologize for your mistakes If you did something wrong, you should now be afraid and it is just required to apologize for your mistakes/ You will see, that children will understand you and everything will be ok. Children can feel very well if you are right or not and you will see, that they will respect you, because they are little and they do not know how to lie. But you should not be afraid of the fact, that you can make the mistakes in the communication with your children, because it is natural, that all people are not the ideal ones. No one knows how it is possible to communicate with the children perfect, because of it you should find the individual way of communication. 11) Do not wear the mask It means, that you should not play different roles before the children. You should be yourself. If you do not know how to do some things, just accept and explain it to the children. If you are angry do not hide it. All people have different emotions, all people like or dislike some things and because of this fact we are all different. But the only thing, which you should always remember you should be honest. It does not matter, which situation is or what happened you should be honest always. Only in this way your children will respect and believe their parents. 12) Do something together You can have the same hobby, for example. It does not matter what exactly you want to do, but you need to do it together. If you have in the result a lot of positive emotions, it means, that you do everything correct. Just find what exactly the children like and do it together. 13) Your children should be the friends It is needed to communicate with the children like with the friends. Do not be afraid of the fact to show own emotions. You can share some thoughts or the point of view with the children. It will help you to communicate better. 14) Make the mistakes Let your children make the mistakes. If they make their own mistakes, they will get the needed experience and because of it, they will be confident in their power. 15) Listen to the children It is needed to listen to your children very carefully. When you are speaking, it is needed to see exactly in their eyes, because it will help you to understand them better. Following these simple advices, you can have the great relationships with the children and because of it, you will have the strong family. You just need to try and you will see, that the result will exceed all expectations. But if you need more value information, then you can order the essay about mom from our writers.