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Example research essay topic: Declaration Of Independence Life Liberty And The Pursuit - 1,224 words

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It is no secret that the Declaration of Independence, one of which writers was Thomas Jefferson, was greatly affected by the political and cultural works of other people. We now know for sure that the Bible, Aristotle, and many others influenced the Declaration very much. However many argue that the primary influences arrive from the works of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, the political figures of the seventeenth century England. Below I will try to find and examine the influences of the aforementioned persons on one of the main documents of the United States. Hobbes and Like Political philosophy was return in the Renaissance and expanded upn in the Enlightenment. Thomas Hobbes and John Like were tw men that appeared at this time, and bth changed the curse f human and gvernment thought.

Hobbes supported the absolutism f the 17 th and 18 th centuries and Lcke's concept f the social contact inspired results like the French Revlutin, the Genius Revlutin, and the American Revlutin. Though both of the thinkers worked at the same period of time, their works were of different directions and based on different fundamental approaches to the nature of humans and the concept of governance. Hobbes, basing his reasoning on the Machiavellian theory, believed in one absolute ruler that made all of the decisions. Such a harsh force is required to get anything accomplished in such a warped world.

People recognize the need of the dictator since without the strict unquestionable laws would limit a mans rights to ensure the safety of others. Basically Hobbes suggests that people provide the leader with authority. This is a sort of social contract where people agree to give a little power to a ruler who will do with that power what is necessary to keep human nature suppressed. Locke speaks of a social contract as well, just in a more positive sense. His view of government is built around the same idea of the subjects giving up some rights in order to secure themselves. This social contract is not one to preserve life, as Hobbes believed it was, but to regulate property and a mans right to own it.

When men agree to a social contract similar to this, they are in essence lending their right to judge others and to govern themselves to one government. In this government, the majority holds the right to rule on behalf of the minority, and all men agree to follow and submit to the determinations and rulings of the government. Upon the analysis of the above information I came to a conclusion that Hobbes principle of the state resembled the situation before the Independence - the most of the authority belonged to England. Conversely, when working at the text of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson implemented Locke's idea, which is similar to todays democracy. Of Commonwealth by Thomas Hobbes, and Of the Limits of Government by John Locke are the two works that affected the fathers of the Declaration.

However, I think that the nly essay f the really used by the funding fathers was f the Limits f Government by John Like. It would be difficult t ver estimate the influence and importance f John Like's life and writings n the subsequent history f the western world. Thomas Jeffersn referred t Like as ne f "the three greatest men that have ever lived, with any exception. " In writing the Declaration f Independence, Jeffersn drew heavily n the doctrines concerning the general principles f liberty and the rights f man which Like set from in his wrk; f Civil Government. In particular, in the first draft f the Declaration f Independence, Jeffersn child Like's wrd's, "Life, liberty and property" which were subsequently changed t "Life, liberty and the pursuit f happiness. " Like is mst renowned fr his political the. Contradicting Thomas Hobbes, Like believed that the regional state f nature was happy and characterized by read and tolerance. In that state all people were equal and independent, and nne had a right t harm anthers life, health, liberty, r possessions.

The state was free by social contact because in the state f nature each was his wn judge, and there was n protection against the wh lived upside the law f nature. The state should be guided by natural law. In his work called Of Dissolution of Government John Locke wrote: [The government is dismissed when] when a prince sits up his own arbitrary will in place of the laws. This is very similar to the words of the Declaration: when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. The whole idea of the states governing principle, which is written in the Declaration of Independence, is modified concept of the government as proposed by John Locke. Thomas Hobbes is the funder f the there f Hbbes, which calls n absolute march in re t deal with what he calls inherently selfish, aggrandizing nature f humanity.

The Declaration f Independence states that in re fr the individuals t secure their unalienable rights f life, liberty and the pursuit f happiness, "Gvernment's are instituted and men, deriving their just power frm the content f the governed. " f Cmmnwealth could nly be related t the thinking f the funding fathers in a mst basic way t their ideals. Thomas Hobbes als seems t be a syllogistic thinker like Aristotle because he never thinks are elemental, getting his mst basic local conclusions frm bservatins f nature and number tw, fr thinking and philosophical lines that dn't agree with the Biblical perspective. Hobbes sees man as an elevated creature capable f self-governing, self-evening conduct. Hobbes does't understand the Biblical view f fallen man, "The heart is deceitful are all things, and desperately wicked; wh can know it? Hobbes als fails t see the need fr a separation f power in Government when he talks abut an absolute march and the Cmmnwealth being the solution t government. Another very famous saying by Thomas Hobbes has found its form in the Declaration.

Hobbes wrote: Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice. Hobbes also introduced the following concept: The only way for human beings to live together peacefully and securely, is if everyone will confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men that may reduce all their wills, by majority of voices, unto one willing therein to submit their wills to his will, and their judgments to his judgment. Until today this concept serves as the basement for the most of the constitutions and legislative acts of the developed countries. It seems pretty clear t me when I read The Declaration f Independence and when I read quotes frm the funding fathers and their contemporaries that it was the wrk f a collective mind. There are many similarities in mst f them, seems that the universal understanding f the times was present everywhere.

Bibliography The Declaration Of Independence. web Nov. 23, 2003. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. web contents. html Nov. 23, 2003.

Second Treatise of Civil Government. web Nov. 23, 2003.


Free research essays on topics related to: john locke, life liberty and the pursuit, social contract, thomas hobbes, declaration of independence

Research essay sample on Declaration Of Independence Life Liberty And The Pursuit

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