The Founders were greatly influenced by the ideas of Thomas Hobbes,John Locke,and Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu.Briefly summarize the arguments of each of these political philosophers and discuss how they shaped the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

There are three components to this question.
a.Hobbes: Hobbes argued that government authority was an antidote to human existence in a government-less state of nature,where life was "solitary,poor,nasty,brutish,and short." He also believed that governments should have limits on the powers they exercised and that political systems are based on the idea of "contract theory": that the people of a country voluntarily give up some freedom in exchange for an ordered society.The notions of limited government and the consent of the governed a great deal of influence on the Founders.
b.Locke: Locke advanced the principles of republican government by arguing not only that monarchical power was not absolute,but that such power was dangerous and should therefore be limited.In a break with Hobbes,Locke argued that the people retain rights despite the social contract they make with the monarch.Preserving safety in society is not enough; people's lives,liberty,and property also require protection.Further,Locke argued that the people of a country have a right to overthrow a government they believe to be unjust or tyrannical.This key idea shaped the thinking of the Founders,including Thomas Jefferson,the primary author of the Declaration of Independence,who said that the document was "pure Locke."
c.Montesquieu: Montesquieu advocated the idea that power needed to be balanced by power as a bulwark against tyranny.The way in which this could be achieved was through the separation of governing powers.Montesquieu did not argue for a pure separation of powers; rather,basic functions would be separated,but there would also be some overlap of functions.These ideas were central in shaping the three-branch system of government that America's Founders outlined in the Constitution of 1787.