What new political ideas the individual, natural rights, and the social contract did the Enlightenment develop?

One of the major and most influential ideas during the enlightenment period was the idea that political power should be held in the the hands of the people, and that the government should be run by the elected representatives (ie. Parliament, Congress, The of Respresentatives, etc.) resulting in the many rebellions to overthrow thet totalitarian governments of this time period.

“Men have rights by their nature... We give up our right to ourselves exact [revenge] for crimes in return for [nonjudgmental] justice backed by overwhelming force. We retain the right to life and liberty, and gain the right to just, impartial protection of our property." -John Locke

One of the most fought for ideas of the enlightenment was that of natural rights. Natural Rights us the philosophy that all men, women, and children are born with natural rights, freedoms, and responsibilities that cannot be taken away by any form of government. The most common natural rights today would be the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Assembly, and the Freedom to own property. The quote above from John Locke lists several others that led to revolutions from 1750-1900. 

Another important philosophy at this time would have been social contracting (most commonly promoted by John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rossesu). According to Wolfram Alpha Social contracting is defined as "an implicit agreement among people that results in organization of society". Some of the most commonly known examples are the egalitarian ideas and thet idea that all races are equal.


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Smith, Bonnie G., Richard Von Glahn, and Kris E. Lane. Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World's Peoples. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.