At the time period, the founding fathers of the United States were heavily influenced by the philosophies of Montesquieu and John Locke. Montesquieu proposed a system of checks and balances by which one aspect of government would not and frankly, could not, possess too much power. The founding fathers accepted this idea thoroughly, as is evidenced by our current governmental system and the three branches. The Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches are all designed so that one branch will never exceed the other branches, Montesquieu influenced Benjamin Franklin in particular as he traveled to France frequently. Moreover, John Locke proposed the social contract. Essentially, the social contract states that a government must secure the rights of its citizens. In the event that it fails to do so, the citizens then have the right to rebel and overthrow such a government. The natural rights which he spoke of referred to a citizens right to life, liberty, and property. The founding fathers took his philosophy to heart, especially Thomas Jefferson. He made a slight variation though on Locke's natural rights, writing instead that citizens have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
