Ideas Of The Past
By Andrew Brinkley
Jhon Locke
Thomas Jefferson
Compare and contrast
"That all men are created equal"(Jefferson,5)
"Wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than the other" (Locke, sec.4)
These quotes basically say that no one man has more power than the other. All men are equal. jefferson simply took the deeper meaning and applied it to the constitution
"That among these are life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (Jefferson, 6)
"No one ought to harm another in his life,health,liberty,or possessions" (Locke, sec.6)
All men are entitled to certain rights, and no one can take these rights away from any man. Here we can simply see Jefferson's streamlined version of Lockes ideas condensing and refining them to suit his needs
"Governments are instituted among men,deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"(Jefferson,7)
"When any one, or more, shall take upon them to make laws, whom the people have not appointed so to do so,they make laws without authority."(Locke)
The people give the government power. If the people do not consent then the government has no power. Jefferson takes this ideal i assume due to the fact that England's central all powerful government was harsh
"it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government."(Jefferson 4)
"When any one, or more, shall take upon them to make laws, whom the people have not appointed so to do, they make laws without authority, which the people are not therefore bound to obey; by which means they come again to be out of subjection, and may constitute to themselves a new legislative, as they think best, being in full liberty to resist the force of those, who without authority would impose any thing upon them." ( Locke sec.-212 )
here we talk about the right to overthrow an unjust government and the right to deny false laws and unjust rules. jefferson puts it simply and uses this so that any unjust government may be abolished
"The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it " (Locke sec 6)
"Governments are instituted among men" ( Jefferson)
This last one talks about the right of self government and how its as much a part of nature as anything else without it there would be anarchy and i believe jefferson put this one in to prevent such.
Summery
the last comparison of second importance to me would be the right to overthrow an unjust government. Again both Locke and Jefferson agree and exemplify this concept witch in my opinion makes perfect sense. Who would want to live under a tyrant who has all the power and treats you like dirt. This right saves us from the possibility of such an action and