Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is a representative piece of Enlightenment writing that demonstrates the great influence that the work of John Locke must have had on him. Jefferson adapted Locke’s concept of an inherent “contract” between the rulers and the ruled, explaining how rulers only rule through the consent of the governed. This means that they enjoy the “right” to change the terms of this contract. He used this idea of a …showed first 75 words of 1311 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1311 total…John Locke originated ideas of “natural rights” which were adopted and adapted by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s words have become the common knowledge about what our country is supposed to stand for and the further adoption and/or adaptation of these words by generations of civil rights leaders have done more to help fulfill the promise of those words than Jefferson himself might have desired. [1] Text 11-12 [2] Text 79 [3] Text 13-15 [4] Text 129 [5] Text 141-142 [6] Text 321 [7] Text 325