Enlightenment Philosophers

[Keith Broaders]

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• The request asks about Enlightenment philosophers who influenced the Founding Fathers.

• Key figures include John Locke, whose ideas on natural rights like life, liberty, and property shaped the Declaration of Independence.

Searched for "Enlightenment philosophers who influenced the Founding Fathers"

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• Sources consistently highlight John Locke as a major influence, with mentions across several reliable references.

The Founding Fathers of the United States, including figures like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, drew heavily from Enlightenment ideas on government, rights, and society. Below is a list of the most influential Enlightenment philosophers, based on historical analyses, along with key aspects of their impact:

• John Locke (English, 1632–1704): His concepts of natural rights (life, liberty, and property), social contract theory, and government by consent directly shaped the Declaration of Independence and the emphasis on individual liberties in the U.S. Constitution.
• Baron de Montesquieu (French, 1689–1755): Advocated for the separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, which inspired the structure of the U.S. government and checks and balances in the Constitution.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Swiss-French, 1712–1778): His ideas on the social contract, popular sovereignty, and the general will influenced democratic principles, such as the role of the people in governance, seen in the preamble to the Constitution ("We the People").
• Voltaire (French, 1694–1778): Promoted freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and criticism of tyranny, which echoed in the First Amendment's protections for expression and religion.
• Thomas Hobbes (English, 1588–1679): Though earlier than the peak Enlightenment, his views on the state of nature and the need for a strong (but not absolute) government to prevent chaos informed debates on federal authority and the social contract.

Other thinkers like David Hume (on empiricism and skepticism) and Denis Diderot (on rational inquiry) had secondary influences, but the above were the core figures. The Founding Fathers adapted these ideas to fit the American context, blending them with classical republicanism and their own experiences.

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