Enlightenment World History Essay

The conceits of several Enlightenment philosophers, such(prenominal) as Locke, Montesquieu and Voltaire moved(p) the latter U.S Constitution. Lockes idea of how a government should be run affected the governmental mogul. Montesquieus idea of separation of powers affected the division of power of the U.S government. Voltaires idea of a persons freedom affected the rights of the people. The ideas of Locke, Montesquieu and Voltaire greatly contributed to the first appearance of the U.S Constitution.Lockes philosophy of how a government should be run affected the power of the government. According to Lockes philosophy, a governments power comes from the consent of the people. This idea was adapted in the Constitution and conduct to a limited governmental power, and the creation of a representative government. Lockes idea was also applied in the beginning of the Constitution, where it says We the people of the United States because the statement established the idea of a government r un by everyone and not just the people involved in the government.Lockes idea led to a limited governmental power,the creation of a new government and the establishment of a government run by its people.Montesquieus idea of division of power in the government affected the federal system. Montesquieu believed in the concept that there should be a separation of powers which was later adapted by the delegates. The delegates set up a government where there were three separate branches which consisted of the legislative, executive and judicial branch. Another change that Montesquieu set forth was the built in system of intermits and balances, which meant that every branch had the ability to check on each others actions. Montesquieus idea of separation of power helped contribute to the Constitution by leading to a government that equalized the power of its governmental leaders.Voltaires idea of a persons freedom affected the written rights of a person in the Bill of Rights (the first te n amendments of the Constitution). According to Voltaire, a person should have freedom of speech and religion. This idea was the primary source of the Bill of Rights.When Congress wrote the Bill of Rights,freedom of speech and religion were guaranteed, along with other rights such as, freedom of press and assembly.Voltaires idea of a persons right to choose their own religion and freedom of speech contributed to other essential freedoms that were previously not guaranteed by the U.S. Several Enlightenment philosophers such as Locke, Montesquieu and Voltaire contributed to the U.S Constitution. Lockes idea of a government run by its people led to a re establishment of government. Montesquieus belief of separation of powers led to a new division of government. Voltaires idea of a persons right of freedom of speech and religion led to more freedoms and rights guaranteed to a person. These are a few of the contributions made by several Enlightenment philosophers to the U.S Constitution.