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John Locke Influence On The Declaration Of Independence

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July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed, uniting the country from its previous undivided state, and cutting the rein from the tyrannical oppression from Great Britain. It marked us as our own sovereign country, and transitioned us into what later would become a world power. Therefore, throughout the Declaration of Independence the philosopher John Locke influenced and shaped important aspects with his principles of natural rights which even encompasses limited government and popular sovereignty.
Natural rights are exactly what they say. Rights that an individual is immediately born with and will stay with yourself until you die. The three vague terms found in lines one and two of the declaration of rights. "Endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, and the …show more content…
However, these were infringed upon by the scandalous act of transporting colonist overseas to be tried for bogus and fictitious crimes. Supported by line 31 of the list of grievances. "For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses." Explicitly affecting the rights of liberty and life, these two being a few of the base ideals for the construction of the declaration. Furthermore, the king of Britain continued to encroach upon the natural rights by subjecting sailors into British naval services. Also, found within the list of grievances on line 44. "He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas bear arms against their own country, to become executioners of their fellow brethren, or fall themselves by their hands." By either perishing or choosing to massacre your allies, this is a ghastly breach of life and liberty. Moreover, Locke also heavily devoted his time into the ideal of being able to own private property, and

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