Final answer:
John Locke was a significant Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas on the social contract and natural rights shaped American political thought and influenced the founding documents. He championed individual liberty and the idea that government should protect these liberties, contributing greatly to the conception of representative government in the new nation.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Locke was a pivotal figure during the Enlightenment, a time when new philosophical ideas challenged traditional beliefs. He theorized that governments are created by humans through a social contract, not divinely ordained. Locke's ideas, particularly those pertaining to the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, were foundational to American political thought and directly impacted the drafting of key documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Locke's political philosophy also supported representative government, rejecting the divine right of kings and advocating for the central role of Parliament with a limited monarchy. His influential works, including the 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' (1689), championed the concepts of individual liberty and government as protector of these liberties, principles that resonated with the British settlers of North America and the American founding fathers.
Overall, Locke's rejection of absolute monarchy and his arguments for a government based on the consent of the governed, with a responsibility to protect the inalienable rights of individuals, left a lasting legacy on Western political development.