The Enlightenment.

The most known, or most famous thinker of the Enlightenment, was definitely John Locke. Locke had made a huge influence on our government today. He inspired Thomas Jefferson when we wrote the Declaration of Independence. Some of the basic rights were the following; All men are created equal, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Citizens are born with these rights, and no one can take them away from you, no matter what. "Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." This statement means that if anyone tries to go against your rights, then you have the right to fight back.

One reason why the government has the amount of power it does today, is because it actually works out. Everything is balanced, and runs in a smooth cycle. Locke is the reason for this, because he came up with ideas that eventually effected everyone. The government today gets its power from the people, hence our type of government, democracy. Most importantly is voting. We have the right to vote. Since we have the right to vote, then its basically our choice who runs our government, and who gets to have the power.