AnnaWong

11/2/15
Period:4
AmericanGovernment
Inthelate1700s,AmericawasfreeoftheabsolutemonarchyofGreatBritain.
ThefoundingfathersofAmericacameupwithasystemofgovernmentthatwouldsuit
allAmericansandtheirneeds.ThreeEnlightenmentthinkersinfluencedthe
establishmentofAmerica'sgovernment,Voltaire'sbeliefsoffreedomofspeechand
religion,Montesquieu'sstyleofgovernmentofchecksandbalances,andLocke's
famouslyknownNaturalRights.
FranoisMarieArouet,famouslyknownasVoltaire,wasamanwhobelievedin
thefreedomofspeech,expression,andreligion.Voltairelivedinexileforthemajority
ofhislifeduetomakingfunofpoliticalinjustices.Forinstance,inanefforttoshowthat
hehadarightoffreedomofspeech,VoltairewasexiledfromPrussiaforinsultingthe
headoftheBerlinAcademyofSciences.Notonlywasheexiledforspeakingoutand
upsettinggovernmentofficials,VoltairewasexiledfromSwitzerlandforholdingradical
theatricalperformancesinhishome.Idonotagreewithwhatyouhavetosay,butIll
defendtothedeathyourrighttosayit!(sourceF)Voltairebelievedthateveryonehad
arightoffreeexpressionwhetherheagreedwithitornot.WhenundertheruleofGreat
Britain,theAmericanshadtoobeythelawofKingGeorge.Theyhadnorighttospeak
outagainsthisrule,theyhadtobelieveinhisreligion,andobeyhisrulesandpayhis
taxes.WhenAmericabecameindependentoftheunjustlaws,theyvaluedVoltaires
teachingsandappliedittotheiryounggovernment,Congressshallmakenolaw
respectinganestablishmentofreligion,orprohibitingthefreeexercisethereofor
abridgingthefreedomofspeech,orofthepressortherightofthepeoplepeaceablyto
assemble,andtopetitiontheGovernmentforaredressofgrievances.(sourceG
AmendmentI,U.S.BillofRights)Inthefirstlineoftheamendment,itdescribesthat
therewillbenolawthatestablishesonereligionforAmerica.Theseparationofchurch
andstatewasalsoabigpoliticalideathatwasestablishedinAmerica,whichwasalso

anideathatVoltaireagreedwith.Thegovernmenthadnorighttoforceareligionupon
anyonecitizen.AlthoughVoltairewasexiledmanytimesforactingonhisbeliefthat
individualsshouldhavearightoffreeexpression,thefoundingfathersweresilenced
underKingGeorgethethird,andvaluedanindividual'srighttospeaktheirmind
whetheritwasinfavororagainsttheruleofgovernment.
America'sgovernmentisbasedonMontesquieu'stheorythatthemosteffective
governmentofthepeoplehasaseparationofpowersingovernment.Hebelievedthat
thegovernmentshouldhaveseparatebrancheswithseparateresponsibilities.Each
branchwouldhavedifferentjobsbutallhaveequalamountsofpower.Montesquieu
dislikedthestyleofgovernmentofanabsolutemonarchy.Thereasonwhymost
governmentsaredespoticonEarthisthatitjusthappens.Butformoderate
governmentsmustcombinemoderatepowersthepowerthatarenotinonebranches
handmustbegiventoanotherandfinallyweneedasystemthatistosayaconvention
ofmanyandadiscussionofinterest.(sourceE:
TheSpiritofLaws
,Baronde
Montesquieu)ThethreepartsofgovernmentestablishedinAmerica,theexecutive
branchwasseparatedfromthelegislativebranch,whichisapartfromthejudicial
branch.Notoneindividualhascontroloverleadershipandlawmaking,orinterpreting
thelawindifferentcases.Eachbranchworkstogethertokeepeachotherincheckand
ensurethatnotonebranchhasmorepowerthantheother.AlllegislativePowers
hereingrantedshallbevestedinaCongressoftheUnitedStates/TheexecutivePower
shallbevestedinaPresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica/ThejudicialPowerofthe
UnitedStates,shallbevestedinonesupremecourt.(SourceI:IntroductionstoArticles
l,ll,andllloftheU.S.Constitution)Montesquieu'sthinkingwasthatseparatebranches
havedifferentresponsibilities,buttogethertheyallhaveanequalamountofpower.
Lockewasamanwhobelievedgovernmentonlyhadonejob,toprotectthe
citizensNaturalRights.AcommonideathatwasknownduringLockestimewasthat
Godhadmadepeoplesubjecttoanabsolutemonarch,thatiswhykingsandqueens
aresubstantialforcitizensofacountry.However,Lockedisagreedandbelievedthat

peoplehavethreeGodgivenNaturalRightslife,liberty,andproperty.Nogovernment
shouldbeabletotakeawaysomeonesrights.ToLocke,theonlyjobthegovernment
hadtodowastoprotecttheNaturalRightsofthepeople,andifthegovernmentdidnot
dosothepeoplehadarightofrevolution.InAmericaatthetime,thefoundingfathers
valuedwhatLockehadtosayconsideringtheirexperienceswithKingGeorge.Thomas
JeffersoninterpretedandappliedtheserightstotheAmericansofhistime,Wehold
thesetruthstobeselfevident,thatallmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedby
theirCreatorwithcertainunalienableRights,suchasLife,Libertyandthepursuitof
Happiness.(SourceBDeclarationofIndependence,ThomasJefferson)Although
JeffersonsrightsweredifferentfromLocke,hestilledbelievedinthesameideas.
Wheneveranygovernmentbecomesdestructiveoftheserights,itistheRightofthe
Peopletoalterorabolishit,andtoinstitutenewGovernment.(SourceC:Declarationof
Independence,ThomasJefferson)LikeLockehadsaid,thepeoplecanrebelagainst
theiroldgovernmentandfightforanewone.Peoplehavecertainrightsbecausethey
arehumanbeingsandthejobofthegovernmentistomakesurethoseparticularrights
areprotected.
ThebasicsoftheAmericangovernmentwerestronglyinfluencedbyVoltaire,
Montesquieu,andLocke.TheirbeliefsareretoldinAmericandocumentsandtheir
teachingsarestillappliedtoourlivestoday.Withouttheirteachingsandtheirabilityto
standupforwhatwasright,ourgovernmentmaynothavebeenasstronginthe
beginningifitwerentfortheEnlightenmentthinkers.