The Declaration of Independence

Common Sense (1776)

Common Sense (1776), a pamphlet written by the English-born Thomas Paine, inspired both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Like the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense was based on the idea of natural rights. It took special aim at the pretensions of English kings to rule according to divine right and hereditary succession.

divine right of kings

Divine right of kings is the idea that a king was divinely ordained and responsible only to God, even if that king chose to rule by cruel means.

due process

Due process of law is fair legal process that is guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments to prevent the government from wrongly depriving individuals of their life, liberty, or property. Due process is the broadest and most basic protection provided by the U.S. Constitution.

Second Treatise of Government (1690)

John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690) clearly influenced the principles of the American Revolution. It offers a full account of the centrality of the rights of human beings; the significance of the rational law of nature; the true source of legitimate power in the consent of the governed; the reality of popular sovereignty; the necessity of representative and limited government; and the right of resistance.

George III

King George III was the British monarch from 1760 to 1820. It was under his rule that the American colonies declared and won their independence from Great Britain.

natural rights

Natural rights refer to the rights that individual human beings are entitled to according to nature. Natural rights are independent of any laws that could be legislated by a government.

no taxation without representation

No taxation without representation, a principle dating back to the Magna Carta, means that if citizens are not represented in the government, then the government should not have the authority to tax them. The American colonists cited this principle when they opposed the authority of the British Parliament to tax them.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

The Declaration of Independence, one of the foremost documents in U.S. history, explained the reasons that the colonies were declaring their independence from Great Britain in 1776. The Declaration emphasizes natural rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and the importance of consent of the governed, stating that government that fails to secure liberty can be overthrown.

Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a cultural and philosophical movement of the 18th century that grew out of new methods of inquiry. The basic premise of the Enlightenment was the superiority of reason. Political philospphers of the Enlightenment advanced such ideas as social contract theory and consent of the governed.

Scottish Enlightenment

The Scottish Enlightenment was one of many influences on the U.S. Founding Fathers as they crafted the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S. Constitution (1787). Scots, like the U.S. Founders, believed they had discovered a "science of politics" that would triumph over "superstition" and "enthusiasm."

consent of the governed

The phrase "consent of the governed" refers to a political theory that a government's power is only legitimate when it is determined by those who are being governed. Under this theory, if the government does not uphold the rights of the governed, the governed have the right to remove their consent and, therefore, the power of the government.

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the three rights identified in the Declaration of Independence as being inalienable, meaning they cannot be surrendered.

social contract

The social contract theory says government is a social contract that the people and their leader freely enter into.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence (1776), founded a major political party, and served as minister to France, governor of Virginia, secretary of state, vice president, and president of the United States.