How did John Locke’s principles influence the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?

John Locke was a foundational influence on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, primarily through his development of natural law and the concept of natural rights.

Locke argued that individuals possess inherent, inalienable rights—specifically to life, liberty, and property—that exist prior to the formation of any government. He posited that the purpose of the social contract and political association is the preservation of these rights. If a government fails to secure these rights, the people have a moral justification to resist or replace that authority.12

These Lockean principles were directly reflected in the 1789 Declaration, which proclaimed that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights" and that the aim of political association is the "preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man". By asserting that these rights are universal and fundamental, the Declaration utilized Locke’s framework to challenge the absolutism of the French monarchy and establish a new ethical basis for society.132