The Enlightenment

The enlightenment is an idea of making an government where people can have equal rights and have a say in who the leader will be. Before the enlightenment, there were rulers known as kings and queens. The kings would be chosen within one family, when the current king passed. The kings would have sons and brothers. When that king dies the son or brotheer would take the place as the new king. That system was unfair to others.

The idea of Monarchs and kings started to change when thinkers like John Locke started influencing people. He thought of a world where people would govern themselves and not be ruled and told to do by kings. John Locke thought people had three natural rights. Those rights were life liberty, and property. Soon the citizens overthrown the kings and set up there own governments.

Later the idea of John Locke would be used by Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson used his idea and put it in the Declaration of Idependence. In the second paragraph John Locke's idea was placed. Thomas Jefferson rephrased the saying though. The saying was: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That was a great effect of the enlightenment.