Question

In which document are the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers best expressed?

Answer 1

The enlightenment ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence were those of Thomas Locke, an English Enlightenment philosopher, that every man has "inalienable" or "God-given" rights to "life, liberty, and property." In the DOI, it says "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Property didn't make the cut, but it was later guaranteed in the Constitution that the government cannot impinge on private property. These inalienable rights from Thomas Locke came from his famous Second Treatise.