The "father of modern democracy" is often considered to be John Locke, an influential 17th-century philosopher. Locke's ideas about government, individual rights, and social contract theory profoundly impacted democratic thought. He argued that legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed and must protect natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. Locke's philosophies laid the groundwork for the development of constitutional democracy and influenced key documents, including the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man.