The British philosopher John Locke is considered the father of Classical Liberalism. During the 17th century, he developed a political theory that later would strongly influence the American Revolution, the American Constitution, the philosophers Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu, and the economic theory of Adam Smith. He posited that the authority of the state is based on the principle of sovereignty of the people and that the power is not absolute, but instead, it should respect the natural rights of every person. He also stated the importance of the division of powers, idea that later would be retaken and developed by Montesquieu. All these concepts were shared by French and American revolutionaries that shaped the modern Western democracies.
