John Locke and "the Enlightenment"

In the Declaration of Independence it is assured that all men were created equal. In order to protect those rights Governments were instituted among men. The "Rights" Jefferson is talking about is that "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That whenever any form of Government became destructive of those ends, it was the Right of the People to put an end to it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on thos principles and organizing its powers in such form, which seemed most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

John Locke was one of the most influential thinkers. He proposed a positive view of human nature, he felt men were reasonable beings and had a natural ability to rule themselves. Locke proposed that the people had three natural rights: life, liberty, and property.

According to the Declaration of Independence, government comes from the people. The people make up the government.Government gets it's power from Men. "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."