How did the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and CitizenreflectonJohn Locke's ideas about the...

It seems to me that both documents bring to light the
dominant theme of popular sovereignty that exists in Locke's work.  Being an
Enlightenment thinker, Locke was primarily associated with asserting the rationality of
human beings.  In this light, Locke made clear the idea that human beings give voice and
authenticity to their political regimes.  Jefferson took this idea in his writing as he
makes the case for the Colonists breaking free of the British.  Jefferson's argument in
the idea that the British acts and encroachments on colonial freedom have violated the
basic level of trust between people and authority pulls from Locke's notion of popular
sovereignty.  In the French Declaration, the Divine Right of Kings is rejected for a
more Lockian presence of popular sovereignty.  This is seen when the document calls for
a dissolution of government that has lost the faith and respect of the people.  The
notion of people giving authority to their authority is a notion from Locke and an
argument constructed within both documents.