Both Benjamin Franklin and John Locke believed in protecting the natural rights of citizens. In fact, John Locke was one of the original thinkers in this field. He is credited with inventing the idea of government having the "consent of the governed". Meaning, that a government can only rule over people as long as the people want them in power. Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the Founding Fathers, believed greatly in this idea and no doubt helped contribute by helping include that idea when the Framers wrote the Constitution.
