Contributions to American Democracy Essay Example

Hobbes, and considers to what extent his theory promotes natural law or natural rights thinking. ” (The Witherspoon Institute). Montesquieu argued that man is capable of grasping four laws of nature through direct, practical experience: first, man desires and seeks nourishment for his bodily preservation; second, man desires peace to sustain his bodily well-being; third, man is drawn instinctively to other people; and fourth, the knowledge derived from interaction with others moves him to desire to live in society.

His notions drastically skewed the perception on how others should be treated. Voltaire was a writer, essayist, and philosopher known for his defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade. Voltaire wrote plays, poetry, novels, essays, historical and scientific works, and over two thousand books and pamphlets. Voltaire believed that the purpose of an individual is to refine the society in which he lives. This means that the civilian should be engaged in making his country and life better.

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He brought these ideas into our constitution by introducing the idea of free speech, which eventually gave way for people to be engaged in their government. He also was forced to stay at the Bastille for five months because of his lampoons of regency. It shoved that his ideas were working, and the public liked them because he had some of his followers visit him in jail. Because of all of Voltaire’s contributions to modern day democracy, our country and other countries have used his ideas to contribute to their citizen’s lives.

All of these contributions from the Constitution and The Declaration of Independence you now know mostly come from three men,

John Locke, Montesque, and Voltaire. If it weren’t for them, you never know we could have had a completely different government. The things that they did for the citizens of their own country at the time are still going on here in America and everyone should realize that. These three men changed the lives of millions of people around the world.