People who influenced the US Government
he agreed with Hobbes regarding the self-interested nature of humans, he was much more optimistic about their ability to use reason to avoid tyranny
John Locke
This document written in 1215, established the idea of limited government, or the belief that the monarch's rule was not absolute. The document lead to the creation of a 2 house Parliament.
Magna Carta
The author that wrote it was "common sense" that the 13 colonies should be independent, not ruled by a small island on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Thomas Paine
This document declared that they would rule themselves. Although Massachusetts eventually became a royal colony, the Pilgrims at Plymouth set a powerful precedent of making their own rules
Mayflower Compact
This group wrote the Mayflower Compact.
The adult male Pilgrims also known as Separatists, who actually referred to themselves as "Saints"
This document insisted that “excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” – two important concepts in the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment.
The English Bill of Rights
He concluded that the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.
Charles Montesquieu
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine who had only been in America for only two years. It was a piece of American literature that would persuade many colonists to want to break away from Great Britain for very sensible reasons
Common Sense
The Enlightenment
Written in 1620, it's considered one of the best examples of people coming together to agree to a set of rules to self-govern.
Mayflower Compact