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