How was thomas jefferson influenced by locke?

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John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau are most notable for the creation of the social contract political philosophy.

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This calls for civic education that helps students examine the story of our country and exercise the skills of citizenship. Late in his life, Thomas Jefferson had an opportunity to reflect upon the purpose of the Declaration of Independence and the influences upon it. Jefferson was not claiming originality. He acknowledged that he and the other Founders did not invent the ideas and principles of the Declaration.

Instead, they drew their inspiration from several different strains of thought. These various traditions all sought to understand human nature: what it means to be human, and how humans interact with each other. Those traditions also sought to discern the best forms of government based on their understanding of human nature. The four major influences were ancient thought, Enlightenment philosophy, the English tradition, and Protestant Christianity.

First, the Founders studied ancient history and philosophy.