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Which of the following statements is consistent with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and helped to influence the writing of the United States Constitution?

A. The power to govern was a divine right granted to kings by God, which people were obliged to accept.
B. The power to govern was endowed in individuals who organized a government and decreed communal ownership of the means of production.
C. No order exists in a state of nature, and therefore people need to surrender some of their power and form a government to create order.
D. Government is an evil and corrupting influence and should be replaced by a utopian society based on free will.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The correct statement aligning with Thomas Hobbes' theory, which influenced the U.S. Constitution, is that people surrender power to form a government to create order out of the state of nature's chaos.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement consistent with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and that helped to influence the writing of the United States Constitution is: C. No order exists in a state of nature, and therefore people need to surrender some of their power and form a government to create order.

Thomas Hobbes believed in a strong central authority to maintain peace and prevent discord. According to Hobbes, in a state of nature, there is no order, and life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.'

Hobbes argued for a social contract where people collectively surrender some freedoms to a monarch for the assurance of stability and order. This ideology influenced the American Founding Fathers' belief in creating a government based on the consent of the governed and capable of preserving peace and ensuring collective well-being.

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