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How did Thomas Jefferson use Enlightenment ideas in the Declaration of Independence?

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A vintage encyclopedia page shows small type and scientific illustrations. The question What was Enlightenment? is written in old-fashioned blue lettering. — Enlightenment The search for knowledge never ends—but it started somewhere.

Thomas Jefferson drew heavily upon the intellectual framework of the Enlightenment to draft the Declaration of Independence, primarily by incorporating the political theories of John Locke and other 17th- and 18th-century thinkers.12

Jefferson utilized these Enlightenment concepts in several key ways:

Natural Rights: He asserted that all individuals possess inherent, unalienable rights—specifically life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—which exist independently of any government.12
Social Contract: Jefferson framed the relationship between the governed and the state as a social contract. He argued that governments are established to protect these natural rights and that their legitimacy is derived from the consent of the governed.12
Right to Revolution: Building on the belief that a government failing to secure these rights violates its agreement with the people, Jefferson invoked the right and duty of the populace to alter or abolish such authoritarian rule.12

By applying these rational principles, Jefferson transformed individual philosophical arguments into a formal, collective assertion of a body politic seeking self-determination.1