Get out your Foreign Influences
Cornell Notes
People Who Influenced the
Founding Fathers
Who influenced the
Founding Fathers?
• We are going to focus on two
important people from the
Enlightenment:
– John Locke
– Baron de Montesquieu
Let’s take a trip back in
time.
What is the Enlightenment?
• It was a time in history when certain
thinkers and writers believed they knew
more than other people and set off to
“enlighten” them.
• They believed
the power of
reason could be
used to help
government
and build a
better world.
Where was the Enlightenment?
John Locke
Info
Ideas
Impact
 Philosopher
 Born August 29, 1632
 Studied at Westminster School and
Photo from iep.utm.edu
Snapshot
DOB: August 1632
DOD: October 1704
From: England
Networks: Westminster
School, Christ Church,
Oxford, Royal Society
Christ Church, Oxford
 Single
 Wrote Two Treatises of
Government
Ideas
“”
Locke had multiple ideas that influenced the
Founders:
Natural Rights/Natural Law
Social Contract
Natural Rights
 John Locke believed all humans have natural rights,
which are rights that all people have just because they are
human being. They are:
•
•
•
Life
Liberty
Property
Natural Rights/Law
 Imagine a group of people are out at sea and their
boat is shipwrecked on a deserted island



There is no government
There are no laws
According to Locke, this is known as a “state of nature”
What are some of the
advantages and disadvantages of
living in a state of nature?
Natural Law
• Natural law is…
•
A higher, unchanging set of rules that govern human
relations
NATURAL
LAW
Natural Rights/Law:
rights that all people have and
the rules that protect those
rights
Now think about this question…
Individually, answer this question:
What is the purpose of
government?
Social Contract
 Locke proposed that in order to keep our natural
rights, the people must engage in a social contract
• An unwritten
agreement between the
people and the
government
• The people agree to live
under a government
and obey its laws.
• In return, the government
agrees to protect the people
Go To Natural Rights/Law
Social Contract:
An unwritten agreement between
people and their government.
Impact
• According to Locke, the purpose of
government is to protect the natural rights
of individuals
…that all men are created equal, that they
• The Founders agreed and included these
are endowed by their Creator with certain
natural rights and social contract in the
unalienable Rights, that among these
Declaration of Independence.
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
• The Founders also included the idea of social
Happiness. — That to secure these rights,
contract in the first three words of the
Governments are instituted among Men,
Preamble to the United States Constitution…
deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed…
The Constitution also
limits the powers of
government to protect
the rights
of the people.
Charles-Louis de Secondat,
Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu
Info
Ideas
Impact
 Philosopher and Political Thinker
 Born in Le Bréde, France January 18,
Photo from constitution.org
Snapshot
DOB: January 18, 1689
DOD: 1755
From: Le Bréde, France
Networks: University of
Bordeaux, Parlement of
Bordeaux
1689
 Studied Law at the University of
Bordeaux
 Married
 Wrote On the Spirit of the Laws
Information from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/montesquieu/
Ideas
Montesquieu is most famous for his discussions on the
need for a “separation of powers” in government
What is the “separation of power”?
Power must be separated…why?
What would a society look like if one person or group
had all of the power (no separation of power) and no
one could challenge or “check” that power?
Should there be limits
on what government
can or can’t do?
Is this a fair
society?
What would the rights
of the people be like?
How do we keep government from becoming too
powerful?
 Montesquieu argued that in order to keep a
government from becoming too powerful:


Photo from constitution.org
FLREA Copyright 2012

Power must be separated
Power must be checked
Power must be balanced
What if we separate and check power?
Someone
Legislative
makes the
Branch
laws
The government
proposes and
passes a curfew
of 10pm for
those under the
age of 18.
Penalty results
in fines or
arrest.
The student
challenges the arrest
because they were
coming home from
work.
Does the law apply to
those under 18 who
are coming home
from work?
Someone else
Executive
enforces the
Branch
laws
Someone else
Judicial
says what the
Branch
laws
mean
The President
approves the bill and
the City of
Smithville’s police
are instructed to
enforce the curfew.
Police arrest a
student for riding
their bike home at
10:30pm.
Separation of powers-
Power is separated so no person
or group becomes too powerful
Impact
 The Founders were certain to include the
separation of power in the Constitution when it
was written in order to make sure no one was able to
become too powerful

What were they scared of?
They didn’t want to see
something resembling a
monarchy develop by giving
one branch of government too
much power.
FLREA Copyright 2012
• If you have your syllabus or folder, please
get it out now.
• Get out your Foreign Influences Cornell
notes.
• Get out a piece of paper. Put your name,
date, and class period on it. Number it 1-5
without skipping lines.
Magna Carta
English Bill of Rights
• Document
• Written in 1215 by English nobles who
forced the King to sign it.
• Big Idea: Limited government
John Locke
• Document
• Written in 1689 by English Parliament
• Big idea: Extended rights to all English
citizens even those living in the
American colonies
Foreign
Influences
• British philosopher
• Natural rights/natural law- rights
that all people have that cannot be
taken from them. Such as life,
liberty, and property.
• Social contract- an unwritten
agreement between the people and
their government. The people obey
the government, the government
protects the people.
Both ideas were used in the D.O.I.
Baron de Montesquieu
• French philosopher and political thinker
• Separation of powers- all power
should not be given to one person
or group. Give different powers to
different branches.
Idea used in the Constitution (the
three branches).
3-2-1
3- ideas that influenced the development
of our government
2- documents that influences the
development
1- person that influenced the
development of our government