2. Locke and Montesquieu

Locke and Montesquieu

Pronounced: Locke- Lock    Montesquieu- Mont- te- skew

Locke and Montesquieu come to us straight out of a period known as the Enlightenment.  Neither one of these two dudes ever set foot in North America. However, they wrote a lot and their ideas crossed the ocean in books.  We look at these two guys' thoughts and beliefs today, not because they were influential leaders of a colony, but rather, because their ideas became the founding principles in which we will start to govern ourselves.

Watch this video on John Locke to give you an introduction to Mr. Locke.

Follow the directions below. All materials you need should be included on this page.

1. Read through the article, "A Chronicle of Rights" as a table. You will find this below, in bold words.

2. Open the socialsciences.dade PDF on the bottom of the page. Make a T chart that resembles the PDF and fill out the information it asks for. You can make this T chart on your own piece of paper.

3. Think for a second about … do you think that when we have a right, we have any responsibility that goes along with it? Please type  or write up a response including why you think we have responsibility with rights, and what responsibilities we might get. Discuss this in your groups and be ready to discuss it as a class.

4. Take the quick check quiz at the bottom of this page.

A Chronicle of Rights 

 A natural right is a basic right with which all humans are born. Some of the 

most basic of these are the right to life, liberty, and property. Throughout history, 

natural rights have not been protected for all people. As early as history has been 

recorded, some people have been held in slavery and denied their freedom. People 

have lost their lives at the whim of a ruler or government that did not protect this right. 

Some people were denied the right to own property. Personal property has sometimes 

been taken from individuals with no regard to their rights of ownership. As United States 

Citizens, we often take these rights for granted. How did our country arrive at the idea 

that natural rights were important to guarantee to all citizens? Many people, documents, 

and events have influenced American ideas on human rights. 

The idea of natural rights, or natural law, can be seen as early as ancient Greece and 

Rome. In Europe, during the 17th and 18th century, many ideas about natural rights 

were discussed. This period is referred to as the Age of Enlightenment. Philosophers

of the time felt that the truth could be found by using reason. Enlightenment thinkers put 

forth the idea of individual freedoms and natural rights. Their ideas greatly influenced 

the founding fathers and are evident in many documents, including the Declaration of 

Independence and the Constitution of the United States. 

One of those influences was a 17th century English 

philosopher named John Locke. Locke felt that natural 

rights were very important. He believed that every person 

should have the opportunity to live a good life. He felt that 

man’s basic rights should include life, freedom, and ownership 

of property. John Locke also felt that government was needed 

to protect these rights. Along with the rights, Locke put forth 

the idea that people then had certain responsibilities. In 1690, 

John Locke wrote a book titled, Two Treatises of Government, 

which was read by many colonists. The book was also popular 

among the founding fathers, and it is said to have influenced 

Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence. 

Another influence was 18th century French philosopher Baron de 

Montesquieu. Montesquieu believed in human rights and 

freedom. He was against dictatorships and tyranny. He also 

believed that people can live under a government and still have 

individual rights and freedom. Montesquieu felt that one way to 

make sure natural rights were guaranteed was to provide that 

governments did not get too much power. He put forth the idea 

that this could be done by separating the government into 

different branches and dividing the power among the branches. 

This idea can be seen clearly in the United States Constitution. 

Link- These slides help to highlight what each believed

They both have similar beliefs. Can you tell what they are?

If their ideas are still difficult to understand and you would like more explanation, here is a video for you to watch.

One more video if you are interested and/or want further explanation.