The basis for many revolutions in the Caribbean and the Americas in the Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries can largely be attributed to Locke's ideas in Two Treatises of Government.
John Locke's theories emphasized natural rights (life, liberty, and property), the social contract, and the right of the people to overthrow a government that violated their rights. These concepts greatly influenced revolutionary thought, including the American Revolution in 1776 and the Haitian Revolution in 1791. While the ideas of other Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Diderot also contributed to the intellectual atmosphere of the time, Locke's ideas on government and individual rights played a central role in justifying the revolutions that sought to challenge established authority.