Answer:
The ideas of John Locke were influential in shaping the Declaration of Independence. Locke's concept of natural rights, which included the rights to life, liberty, and property, was incorporated into the Declaration. The document states that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. These natural rights cannot be taken away by the government, but instead, the government exists to protect these rights.
The ideas of other Enlightenment thinkers also influenced the US Constitution. Montesquieu's idea of the separation of powers, in which power is divided among three branches of government, was incorporated into the US Constitution. Rousseau's idea of popular sovereignty, in which the people have the right to govern themselves, was also influential. Voltaire's advocacy of reason and freedom of thought influenced the Bill of Rights, which guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Beccaria's idea of the abolition of torture and the reform of the criminal justice system was also influential in shaping the US Constitution's Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
In summary, the ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Beccaria were crucial in shaping the US Constitution's principles of natural rights, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, reason, and the abolition of torture. These ideas reflected the major ideas of the Enlightenment, which emphasized reason, liberty, and progress, and continue to be relevant in contemporary political discourse.