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Salus Populi Suprema Lex: The Impact Of Three Major European Thinkers On The Constitution Of The United States, Corey W. Smith

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Within the context of discussions regarding the Constitution and its forming, great emphasis is given to the history of the ideas which influenced and/or became a part of that document. The general term given to the line of thought of which our Constitution is a part is "natural law" theory, referring to the rights which the founding fathers, or natural law theorists in general, deemed so basic as to be understood. Such a doctrine manifests as the "inalienable rights ... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence, but in a more subdued and practical manner …