Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison all used their knowledge to come up with ways to better America. ... During this enlightenment period, the most commonly heard French philosophers were John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes, Baron Montesquieu, Denis Diderot, and others. ... A few American leaders such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison also greatly inspired people's thinking as well as making it known that their beliefs differentiated from the European philosopher's beliefs. ... John Adams was an American p...

• Word Count: 769
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These theorists John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau both analyze these ideas and declare that man subjects themselves to government by creating a social contract amongst themselves. ... Equality is very important to Locke amongst the government meaning that everyone has a vote and that there is a system of checks and balances to allow everyone the potential opportunity for their ideas to be heard. ... Philosophers John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, although similar in many ways, expertly define their different ideas of the social contract and what it takes to have a functioning society and...

• Word Count: 1544
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, I undoubtedly believe that a strong central government is the only means of a correctly functioning democratic government. ... I think James Madison says it best in Federalist #10, "Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable". ... Like Madison, I strongly believe that federalism gives these different political views an outlet to be heard and to be useful. ... For these re...

• Word Count: 549
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, another philosopher by the name of Thomas Hobbes comes in contrast with John Locke. ... Therefore the democratic laws that John Locke supports is what I most strongly agree with. ... Continuing on with the great philosopher John Locke, he was a man with many great theories that governments are using in this day and age. ... This leads us to think that having periodic elections people's voices are being heard and political and economic decisions are being made to fix it. ... As John Locke said "If the government is not providing, overthrow it....

• Word Count: 1226
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The liberal ideal developed first around the times of the English revolution based on the 17th century writings of John Locke and then developed in the 18th century by French philosophers. ... What America "needs is for the people to actually make their voices heard by entering into the political process en masse and creating their own political organizations," (Bradtke). ...

• Word Count: 1525
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate