The Constitution of the United States of America was signed on September 17, 1787. It was important as it established a federal governing system, fundamental laws, and gave the citizens guaranteed rights. But, it was not created overnight; it was a lengthy and complex process. It encompasses ideas and opinions from all of the multiple individuals who had to agree on it. In order to understand the Constitution and the political system in the United States, it is helpful to be aware of its roots and what influenced the ideas of the Founding Fathers. This paper dives into those influences on the development of the political system that has been successful for all of these years. The Founding Fathers drew upon the writings and history of a number …show more content…
He was the author of the Two Treatises of Government. The ideas throughout these were written as a critique of England’s current form of government at that time. The First Treatise was more of an assessment of another philosopher during that time, Robert Filmer. Filmer believed that each man was naturally born a slave to those with absolute authority; for example, Adam, as in Adam and Eve, had absolute control over not only his children, but all of the children who came from those who succeeded Adam as well. This is because Adam’s power and control was appointed from God, who was the absolute king in this situation. Locke disagreed with this theory stating instead that every man had the ability to govern himself. A king does not have absolute power as those powers are limited by the rights given to the individuals. The Second Treatise, then, began the critiquing of government. Locke argues that sovereignty is placed into the hands of the people. People are said to be equal and invested with natural rights. In his “state of nature,” natural law governs the behavior of the citizens and each person has the right to execute that law against someone who infringes on their rights. Locke’s model consists ultimately of a civil state that is based upon the natural rights common to a people who welcome power to protect their property and liberty. If a government ceases to function for the people’s benefit or in their best interest, …show more content…
He describes a system with three separate branches: the judicial, legislative, and executive. He argues that a system such as this is necessary “as it may be too great a temptation to human frailty, apt to grasp at power, for the same persons, who have the power of making laws, to have also in their hands to power to execute them.” The political system set up by the Founders followed this model of having a separation of powers, which one can see outlined in the first three articles of the Constitution. Article 1 states the powers given to Congress and limits those powers. It also states that the United States is a bicameral legislature with two separate parts to it: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Article 2 establishes the executive branch of government. Article 3, then, creates the judicial branch. Each branch is equal and has the power to check on the others to prevent one or the other from becoming supreme.
John Locke and the creators of the Constitution were all in favor of a representative government. He believed that the only reason society needed a government was to protect property mainly. So, he believed that the representatives should only be property owners (men) and those with a business. Back when the Constitution was drafted and signed, only adult