Which of the following influenced the writing of the declaration of independence? a) montesquieu's theory of the social contract b) locke's idea of popular sovereightny c) voltaire's idea of an enlightened monarchy d) hobbes's idea of the need for a powerful government

The correct answer here is A. The Declaration of Independence is greatly influenced by the writings of Montesquieu who advocated the division of power. It was from Montesquieu that the Founding Fathers adopted the division of government into three separate branches where the system of checks and balances rule. This means that not one branch of the government will have too much power and one can in a sense control the other.