One of the first steps in the formation of the United States that was based upon Enlightenment ideals was the creation of the Declaration of Independence. This sought to promise personal freedom to all citizens and this was to be guaranteed by means of a new form of government, one that was based on the people’s right to have a say in their government. As the country moved toward the drafting of the Constitution, the ideas of several Enlightenment philosophers shaped the direction American political leaders tool. For instance, Montesquieu’s idea about the balance of power between three branches of government was explicitly used just as Rousseau’s ideas about the power of democracy and consent of the people were in the formation of the new government.