Rousseau's Influence On The Us Constitution

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss-born philosopher of the Enlightenment whose writings inspired the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Rousseau's ideas in The Social Contract heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence. Rousseau's philosophy centres on the idea that human beings are good by nature but are rendered corrupt by society. Rousseau's political philosophy is based on the idea of popular sovereignty, where the will of the people as a whole gives power and direction to the state. Rousseau's concept of the general will or common interest of the people influenced the authors of the American and French constitutions. While Rousseau's ideas are said to be reflected in the opening words of the US Constitution, We the people, the authors of the Constitution, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams, were more influenced by the French philosopher Montesquieu's concept of differing political systems and the importance of built-in barriers against future abuses.

Explore related products

The Major Political Writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Two "Discourses" and the "Social Contract"

$20 $17.99

The Constitution of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights

$9.99 $9.99

Aristotle's Politics: Writings from the Complete Works: Politics, Economics, Constitution of Athens

$26.17 $29.95

The Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract, Confessions, Emile, and Other Essays (Halcyon Classics)

$0.99

Latin American Constitutions: The Constitution of Cádiz and its Legacy in Spanish America

$104.32 $120

Rousseau: The Discourses and Other Early Political Writings (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

$21.23 $30

Rousseau's rejection of representative government

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's writings inspired the American Revolution and the French Revolution, and remain a major influence in both countries to this day. Rousseau's political philosophy, particularly his doctrine of sovereignty and representation, included an apparent rejection of "representative government". Rousseau's view, expressed in "The Social Contract", was that the Hobbesian idea that a people's legislative will can be vested in some group or individual, who then act with their authority but rule over them, was flawed. He argued that handing over one's general right to rule oneself to another person or body is a form of slavery and that recognising such an authority would amount to an abdication of moral agency.

Rousseau's views on sovereignty and representation have proved to be among his least persuasive ideas to later thinkers. Rousseau's conception of democracy is narrower than that of his contemporary, Locke, and his assertion that democracy is incompatible with representative institutions has rendered his philosophy largely irrelevant to nation-states. Rousseau's belief that the sovereignty of the people can be neither alienated nor represented, and that the moment a people allow themselves "to be represented, it is no longer free: it no longer exists", has been interpreted as a rejection of all forms of representative government.

However, this interpretation has been challenged, and Rousseau's views on government are complex. While he takes a different view in a text aimed at practical politics, "Considerations on the Government of Poland", in "The Social Contract", he makes a key distinction between sovereign and government. Rousseau envisages a republic in which the people would be subject to elite domination by the government, with magistrates reserving the business of agenda-setting for the assembly. However, he also endorses a conception of a more fully democratic republic. Rousseau's ideal of a small, cohesive group of magistrates exercising legitimate sovereign power may be incompatible with the notion of representative government, but it is not entirely clear that he rejects all forms of it.

Rousseau's influence on Thomas Jefferson

The ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers of the United States. Rousseau's writings inspired the American Revolution and remain a major influence in the US to this day.

Rousseau's most notable work, "The Social Contract" (1762), had a significant influence on the Founding Fathers. Rousseau's work was well-known in England and France, and the Founding Fathers kept up with the latest publications from both countries. Rousseau's concept of popular sovereignty, or the people's sovereignty, was a direct influence on Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence". In "The Social Contract", Rousseau argues that to hand over one's general right of ruling oneself to another person or body is a form of slavery. This rejection of the Hobbesian idea that a people's legislative will can be vested in some group or individual that then acts with their authority but rules over them is a central theme in Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence".

Rousseau's work also influenced Jefferson's views on the relationship between a government and its people. In "The Social Contract", Rousseau writes that to guarantee the legitimacy of government and laws, universal participation is required. This idea is reflected in the "Declaration of Independence", which sets out to explain the relationship between a government and its people based on an understanding of that relationship.

While Jefferson was in France, the authors of the US Constitution, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams, followed the French philosopher Montesquieu's concept of differing political systems. However, the phrase "We the people", which opens the US Constitution, echoes Rousseau's idea of popular sovereignty. Rousseau grew up in the independent city-state of Geneva, where all citizens were theoretically equal in collective decisions, and this concept is reflected in the opening phrase of the US Constitution.

Rousseau's writings also influenced Jefferson's views on liberty and the individual. Rousseau claimed that human beings are good by nature but are rendered corrupt by society. This idea of the individual led to a greater emphasis on culture and an increase in nationalism in Western Europe. Jefferson expanded on Rousseau's philosophies in many of his writings, including "The Declaration of Independence", where he directly adopted several themes from Rousseau's work.

Rousseau's views on sovereignty

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's views on sovereignty are outlined in his work "The Social Contract". In it, he rejects the Hobbesian idea that a people's legislative will can be vested in some group or individual that then acts with their authority but rules over them. Rousseau argues that to hand over one's general right of ruling oneself to another person or body is a form of slavery and that recognising such an authority would amount to an abdication of moral agency. This rejection of representative government extends to the election of representatives to sovereign assemblies, even where those representatives are subject to periodic re-election.

Rousseau's concept of sovereignty is based on the idea of the "general will", which is the expression of rational individuals when they come together to legislate. The "general will" is the inherent characteristic of the human mind and is expressed by the sovereign. This sovereign, inalienable power cannot be deferred to a smaller group or represented by one and is expressed in the will of the people as a whole, not in part. Rousseau argues that the common good can only be achieved by heeding this "general will".

Rousseau's ideas on sovereignty influenced the American Revolution and the French Revolution, with Thomas Jefferson, in particular, adopting the concept of the people's sovereignty. The opening of the US Constitution, "We the people", echoes Rousseau's ideas, and his work "The Social Contract" influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States. Rousseau's writings continue to be a major influence in both countries today.

Explore related products

Great Ideas Social Contract (Penguin Great Ideas) by Jean Jacques Rousseau (2005-02-01)

$18.23

The Social Contract

$0.55 $10.7

Rousseau: The Social Contract and Other Later Political Writings (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

$22.18 $26

Rousseau (The Routledge Philosophers)

$27.19 $34.99

El contrato social / The Social Contract (Serie Great Ideas) (Spanish Edition)

$9.95 $7.32

Rousseau and Geneva: From the First Discourse to The Social Contract, 1749–1762 (Ideas in Context, Series Number 46)

$30.1 $66

Rousseau's impact on the French Revolution

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a pivotal figure of the European Enlightenment and his writings inspired both the American and French Revolutions. Rousseau's ideas about government, society, and individual liberties underpinned French revolutionary ideas and inspired some of the revolution's leading figures, including Jean-Sylvain Bailly and Maximilien Robespierre.

Rousseau's writings were particularly influential in shaping the French Revolution more than any other figure. His most notable works include the "Discourse on Inequality", "The Social Contract", and "Emile". The Social Contract, published in 1762, is a discourse on the relationship between government and individuals, famously asserting that ""Man is born free yet everywhere he is in chains". Rousseau's belief in the natural goodness of man, corrupted by society, is a central theme in his work. He argued that sovereignty resides in the people, rejecting the traditional concept of the king as the ultimate sovereign. This idea of the "general will" was pervasive during the French Revolution, influencing the thinking of revolutionaries and shaping their demands for popular sovereignty.

Rousseau's concept of the social contract, which asserts that individuals enter into a contract with society to guarantee their rights and freedoms, had a significant impact on the French Revolution. In The Social Contract, Rousseau argues that to be truly free, individuals must participate in creating the laws that govern them, thus ensuring the legitimacy of the government. This idea of universal participation and the expression of the general will was a key influence on the revolutionaries, who sought to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.

Rousseau's writings also explored the tension between freedom and coercion, arguing that true freedom sometimes involves being forced against one's will. This paradoxical idea has been interpreted as a justification for the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, where the revolutionary government employed violence and executions to enforce its vision of freedom and equality.

Rousseau's influence extended beyond the French Revolution, shaping liberal thought in Europe and the world during the 19th century. His ideas on the social contract, natural rights, and the functions of government are reflected in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, a key document of the French Revolution. Rousseau's philosophy continues to be a major influence in France and the United States, with his ideas on sovereignty and individual liberties remaining relevant in modern political discourse.

Rousseau's ideas on general will

The ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as laid out in his works such as The Social Contract, Discourse on Inequality, and Discourse on Political Economy, had a significant influence on the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Rousseau's writings inspired the Founding Fathers of the United States, and his ideas are reflected in the US Constitution, particularly in its opening phrase, "We the people." This concept of the people's sovereignty, as opposed to the king as the ultimate sovereign, was borrowed by Thomas Jefferson from Rousseau.

Rousseau's political philosophy is centred around the concept of the "general will," which he defines as the collective will of the citizen body taken as a whole. The general will is the source of law, and each citizen is subject to their own will, thereby remaining free. Rousseau argues that the general will exists to protect individuals against the mass, not to require their sacrifice. He acknowledges that individuals have selfish and sectional interests that can lead them to oppress others, hence the need for loyalty to the greater good.

Rousseau's idea of the general will is closely tied to his concept of a social contract. He argues that a state can only be legitimate if it is guided by the general will of its members, and this idea is most comprehensively addressed in The Social Contract. Rousseau's social contract theory rejects the notion of vesting legislative will in a group or individual who then rules over the people, as he believes that handing over one's right to rule oneself is a form of slavery. Instead, he favours a form of elective aristocracy, where the day-to-day administration is in the hands of a select few, rather than all citizens conducting the daily running of the state.

Rousseau's views on the general will and representation have been criticised as a rejection of "representative government." He denies the feasibility of representation for purposes of legislation, arguing that elected officials may not truly represent their constituents unless they share vital characteristics such as race, religion, sex, or age. Some critics interpret his ideas as a form of ""totalitarian democracy," where citizens are subjected to the infallible will of the majority. However, defenders of Rousseau argue that his ideas are easily misrepresented when taken out of context, and that his concept of the general will is a development of earlier theological concepts.

Frequently asked questions