Final answer:
The Enlightenment ideals that influenced the founders of the United States included John Locke's natural rights, Montesquieu's separation of powers, the social contract, and just governance. These principles were foundational in drafting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, promoting a government accountable to the people.
Step-by-step explanation:
The founders of the United States drew heavily on the ideals propounded during the European Enlightenment. Key Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a significant impact on their thinking. The ideals that most influenced the founding fathers included the theory of natural rights, the importance of liberty, the concept of a social contract, and the structure of a just government.
Locke's principle of natural rights, which argued that individuals inherently possess the rights to life, liberty, and property, was reinterpreted by Thomas Jefferson as the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. Montesquieu's advocacy for a separation of powers to prevent tyranny was taken to heart, resulting in the division of the U.S. government into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The Enlightenment's influence is evident in the development of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which embody the Enlightenment's emphasis on protecting the rights of citizens and limiting the powers of government.
Through the lens of Enlightenment thinking, American leaders like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine also evaluated the relationship between the colonies and the British Crown, fueling the revolution by insisting on a government that served the people's interests, rather than vice versa. Paine's Common Sense exemplified this, arguing that the king should serve the interests of his subjects, or the subjects had no need for him. Furthermore, the principle that government should reflect the "general will" of the people, explored by Rousseau, also resonates in the democratic foundations of the American political system.