Enlightenment Roots of American Government
Aligned to C3.D2.Civ.1 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Enlightenment thinkers argued that people are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that legitimate government rests on a social contract in which citizens consent to be governed. John Locke's ideas about consent and the right to alter an abusive government directly shaped American political thought. The Declaration of Independence turned these philosophies into a formal justification for breaking with Britain.
Worked example
Thomas Jefferson borrowed Locke's phrasing when the 1776 Declaration of Independence declared that governments derive 'their just powers from the consent of the governed' and may be altered when they violate unalienable rights.
Practice questions
- List the three unalienable rights named in the Declaration of Independence.
- Explain what a social contract is and how consent makes a government legitimate.
- Analyze how the Declaration uses natural-rights theory to justify revolution against Britain.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Raíces ilustradas del gobierno estadounidense
Los pensadores de la Ilustración sostuvieron que las personas nacen con derechos naturales a la vida, la libertad y la propiedad, y que un gobierno legítimo se basa en un contrato social en el que los ciudadanos consienten ser gobernados. Las ideas de John Locke sobre el consentimiento y el derecho a cambiar un gobierno abusivo moldearon directamente el pensamiento político estadounidense. La Declaración de Independencia convirtió estas filosofías en una justificación formal para separarse de Gran Bretaña.
Ejemplo: Thomas Jefferson retomó las palabras de Locke cuando la Declaración de Independencia de 1776 afirmó que los gobiernos derivan 'sus justos poderes del consentimiento de los gobernados' y pueden cambiarse cuando violan derechos inalienables.
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