Before the American Revolution, colonists petitioned Parliament as loyal subjects, seeking redress for grievances like the Stamp Act. Even at the Continental Congress in 1774, revolution was not the goal; reconciliation with Britain was still hoped for despite increasing legislative tyranny.

John Locke's 'Two Treatises on Government' profoundly influenced colonial leaders. Locke argued for government by consent of the governed, the existence of natural rights (life, liberty, and property) granted by the Creator, not the government, and self-rule through elected representatives. These ideas fueled colonial resistance to British laws and lack of representation.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept of the social contract posited that people willingly give some power to the government in exchange for the protection of their natural rights. If the government fails to protect these rights or passes laws without consent, those laws are null and void, justifying colonial agitation against taxation without representation.

Baron de Montesquieu's writings inspired the idea that a republican government, with power split into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, was best for preserving liberty. This system of checks and balances was seen as crucial to protect against tyranny.

While Enlightenment ideas circulated among the elite, Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet "Common Sense" popularized these concepts using everyday language. Paine's powerful arguments against monarchy and for independence from Britain, laden with Enlightenment thought, ignited revolutionary sentiment among the broader colonial population, despite criticism from some like John Adams.

The shift in colonial sentiment, largely driven by "Common Sense," led to the Second Continental Congress moving for independence. Thomas Jefferson, drawing heavily on Enlightenment ideas of natural rights and the social contract, drafted the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 2, 1776, and made public on July 4, 1776, setting the stage for the Revolutionary War.