United States adopting the ideas of Enlightenment Philosophes

Ava Wilkinson

Have you ever wondered how the United States came to be, and where the founding

fathers got their ideas? I argue that the united states adopted the ideas of the enlightenment

philosophes. I will prove this by explaining the similarities between the united states government

and Britain’s government, along with who the founding fathers got the ideas for the constitution

and the declaration of independence from, and lastly how the languages are the same.

First, there are many similarities between the United States government and Britain’s

government. One similarity is the cabinet system. The cabinet system in Britain, was made up of

a prime minister who was the leader, and his advisors. In the United States the prime minister

would be the president. Along with the president, there are also advisors. One of the only

differences in their government systems is the king and queen. “The king and queen represent the

country.” (history.com) They don’t have much of a part in the government, but they are

important figures. The United States government does not have a king or queen.

Also, the founding fathers based their ideas off some of the enlightenment thinkers. For

example, Voltaire is one of the most famous enlightenment thinkers and he was an advocate of

freedom of speech, religion, and separation of church and state. “Voltaire was a French

enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher.” (Britannica.com) Which are some of the main

ideas that are mentioned in the constitution. Another man that had important ideas was John

Locke. He was known for his policy of natural law and for his idea of life, liberty and property.

Which were some of the main ideas that were the basis of the Declaration of Independence.
Those are two examples of important ideas that the founding fathers used to add on to their

original ideas.

Lastly, one way that shows the United States adopted the ideas of the enlightenment

philosophes is there language. Most people in the United States speak English and that is because

most of the influence that was on them was from England. Other countries tried to conquer the

new world in earlier years but none of them officially did. England officially did. This is one of

the reasons most of our country speaks English. Most people that lived in England spoke

English, so it spread to the United States. If it were not for the English people and England, we

might not be speaking English today. That is the last reason that shows how the United States

adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophes.

If it were not for the enlightenment period, our country might not be the same as it is

today. Some of the most important moments in history were sparked by this period. The

enlightenment thinker’s ideas paved the way for our country. The ideas were the start to the

break away from Britain. Along with that some of the ideas were the bases to documents like the

constitution and the declaration of independence. It was also the beginning to the start of the

United States. Overall, the United States adopted the ideas of the enlightenment philosophes.

And if it were not for the enlightenment period the world would not be the same.