Which philosopher's ideas about natural rights influenced the later American justification for independence?

• A. John Locke
• B. Montesquieu
• C. Thomas Hobbes
• D. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Answer: (A)

Natural rights and the social contract shape the argument for independence. John Locke argued that people inherently have rights to life, liberty, and property, and that government exists to protect these rights. When rulers violate them or fail to protect them, the people may dissolve the government and establish a new one. This idea directly informs the Declaration of Independence, which speaks of unalienable rights and says governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed, with the right to alter or abolish a tyrannical government. Other Enlightenment thinkers contributed important ideas as well, but Locke’s framework is the one most closely tied to justifying breaking away and forming a new nation.