Philosophers of the Revolutions

Philosopher
John Locke

Main Idea
English philosopher who thought the government is morally supposed to serve people, namely by protecting life, liberty, and property.

Vocabulary
Natural Rights: political theory that believes that an individual enters into society with certain basic rights (life, liberty, etc.) and that no government can deny these rights. Checks and Balances: a system that limits power within a political system, group, or organization in which no single part of it can become too powerful, because it needs the agreement of the other parts for its actions to be legal Sovereignty: a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself

Charles-Louis Montesquieu

French philosopher during the enlightenment who established the idea of a separation of powers in the government to better increase liberty.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Believed that only when people work for the same thing can they achieve real freedom from a dictator or single group. The government that represents what the people want cannot be questioned, because what the people want cannot be wrong.

Simn Bolvar

Believed in liberty and its being the freedom from a foreign controlling power, to be followed by true independence under a more free constitution.

Liberty: the freedom to think or behave in the way that you want and not be controlled by a government or by other people

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

Jefferson felt that the central government should be "rigorously frugal and simple." As president he reduced the size and scope of the federal government by ending internal taxes, reducing the size of the army and navy, and paying off the government's debt. Knew that personal freedom was important to a government where the people governed themselves and valued their liberties.

Limited Government: Limited government is defined as a governing or controlling body whose power exists only within limits that are already established by a constitution or other source of authority.

Personal Freedom: freedom of the person in going and coming, equality before the courts, security of private property, freedom of opinion and its expression, and freedom of conscience subject to the rights of others and of the public

Definitions and background taken from Merriam-webster.com, yourdictionary.com, macmillandictionary.com, biography.com, ushistory.com, iun.edu, historytoday.com, fee.org, and americaslibrary.gov.