What was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's impact on American Revolution?

Answer 1

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a major Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy heavily influenced the French Revolution, as well as the American Revolution and the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.

His main social, philosophical, and political objectives were the following, the promotion of liberalism which was combined with arguing in favor of replacing the ancient regimes- like in France.

In 1762, his publication, The Social Contract, became one of the most influential works of abstract political thought in the Western tradition. In the Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau had tried to explain the human invention of government as a kind of contract between the governed and the authorities that governed them. The only reason human beings were willing to give up individual freedom and be ruled by others was that they saw that their rights, happiness, and property would be better protected under a formal government rather than an anarchic, every-person-for-themselves type of society. He argued, though, that this original contract was deeply flawed. The wealthiest and most powerful members of society "tricked" the general population, and so installed inequality as a permanent feature of human society. Rousseau argued, in The Social Contract, that this contract between rulers and the ruled should be rethought. Rather than have a government which largely protects the wealth and the rights of the powerful few, government should be fundamentally based on the rights and equality of everyone. If any form of government does not properly see to the rights, liberty, and equality of everyone, that government has broken the social contract that lies at the heart of political authority. These ideas were essential for both the French and American revolutions; in fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the French and American revolutions are the direct result of Rousseau's abstract theories on the social contract.

This is one reason, by the way, that the American and French revolutions resulted in "contracts" outlining the rights and liberties of the governed.

He also wrote a novel, Emile, which outlined the best way to educate human beings. His goal was to produce an education that maximized human potential rather than restricted it. Both European and American educational ideas were greatly influenced by this work; the American public school system, established in the first part of the nineteenth century, drew heavily from Rousseau's educational ideas.

His works did not only leave impact during the revolutionary war, but also Rousseau's legacy was a major contribution to the philosophical optimism that asserts that man, through the advance of science and art, can perfect himself and build a perfect society on earth. This optimism continued for more than a century until it crashed on the shoals of the World Wars, Hitler's genocide and the abject failure of communism to succeed as a social experiment.

by ren

Answer 2

He believed that men should not give up their natural rights for the government.

Answer 3

He furthered the idea of social contract theory that required active participation by citizens

Answer 4

because it was going to play soccer etc