We The People, Have John Locke to Thank
John Locke’s influence on modern politics stands today because he is credited with being the most influential man to help with the foundation of The United States. Our Declaration of Independence states that Americans have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which are a combination of Locke’s words from his Second Treatise of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding . In his Second Treatise of Government , Locke he redefined how a government should operate. Locke states that a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed, i.e. the people. Locke also expresses that if a government becomes tyrannical and no longer serves the people, that the people have a right to replace it with a new government. These ideas are what the founding fathers brought with them when they founded The United Stated and with them the revolutionary American spirit was born. Although there are some contradicting ideas that Locke presents such a...