What philosopher influence the U.S. constitution the most? Why?

Question:Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau???

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau???

Locke's the best choice of those five, but I'd like to put in a bid for secret option six: Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. The Declaration of Independence borrowed heavily from Locke's Second Treatise of Government, the themes of which were liberty, property, and social contract. Just as Locke suggested, the Continental Congress appealed to King George III's reason over what they felt to be unjust laws, and when finally they had exhausted reason, they declared the "contract" into which citizens and their governments enter to be void because of the government's lack of reason.

Plato and Aristotle didn't really like republics--they favored the omnipotent and benevolent king (the translated title of Plato's opus, "The Republic," is mis-translated; it really means something like "The Polity" and doesn't promote republics at all). Machiavelli also favored an aristocracy. Rousseau's not a bad choice, and Locke's ideas are important, but I'm still going with "none of the above."

Montesquieu wrote his Spirit of the Law based on a faulty interpretation of the British system of government, describing a system in which three branches have checks on each other's powers. It's the basis of the American system of government.

I would have to say John Locke. His liberal ideas and his "social contract" were very similar in thought to what I know of the members of the Constitutional Convention.

Rousseau built on Locke, but the Americans were leary of the French for several reasons, and felt more at home with English thought.

Edit:

Good point Eileen. Charles de Secondat's "separation of powers" figures heavlily in the Constitution.