The Enlightenment was one of the two things that pushed America into becoming a more stable and fair government. The Enlightenment was a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries. It was when people starting thinking more and questioning everything becoming individual instead of following traditions. It was a time when people started separating the church from state and thinking as individuals to create a government beneficial for everyone. They wanted to change the way people were ruled so that there wasn’t any dictating. There was four philosophers who influenced the Enlightenment and became known for creating a government that could be trusted. The philosophers were Rousseau, Locke, Hobbes, and Montesquieu. They wanted to create a civic society with laws, rights, and responsibilities because they believed that before civilization people lived in a state of nature where there was no rules, chaos, and the survival of the strongest.
Rousseau believed the government was a social contract between the ruler and the people where they had to give up certain rights for protection. This helped keep people safe because of laws like gun control and speed limits which prevent accidents from happening. Locke believed that everyone was born with natural rights, the right to life, liberty, and property. He believed the government was responsible for protecting the natural rights and to protect the weak against the strong. This gave people a voice, property, and rights to live their life. Though later on in time the right to property was changed to the pursuit of happiness. Hobbes believed mankind was evil and the social contract was created to control the worst instincts of mankind. I don't believe people were born evil but I do believe there is evil in the world and that the social contract was made to control them and protect the weak. Montesquieu believed the government couldn’t be trusted and that it should be divided into three branches. This way they had equal power and no corruption. It helped to give everyone equal rights and this meant more views and opinions. It's was a good thing because the rules weren’t going to be made by just one person with one opinion that might not benefit everyone. These four thinkers had a big influence on the government of today.
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