This essay is on the 5 main philosophers that help to frame the ideas behind our constitution. They are Plato, Cicero, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Charles Montesquieu. They all played a part and I will show there strengths and weaknesses and choose which one should be honored in the National Museum.
Plato was the man to think up the republic form of government. He believed that the government should be there to help maintain the common welfare. In order to run the nation he believed the leaders needed to be the wisest people from the nation. These men, "Philosopher-kings", would be selected based on their decision making abilities. Plato believed that the average person can't make good political decisions and should be left out of the decision making process. This form of government also relied on the citizens to do their part and keep with their "civic duties". Plato's republic would be very orderly and everyone would have a place and need to stick to their job to make the republic function well.
Cicero believed in the Roman republic which was made up of ideas and forms of monarchy, aristocary, and democracy. He thought that every form of government threatened the common welfare of the people in some way and that a system of checks and balances was the best way to preserve the common welfare. He believed that the power should be separated into three groups: The Counsel, The Senate, and The Tribunes. The counsel would represent the interests of the monarch, the senate would represent the interests of the aristocrats, and the tribunes would represent the interests of the people as a whole. This way advice is taken from the widest range of people without giving one group all the power. This way each group can regulate all the other groups to make sure they stay in check.
Hobbes believed in the idea that in a state of nature there is natural equality, natural freedom, and natural rights to life, liberty, and property.