John Locke : The Second Treatises Of Government

Locke wrote the Second Treatise of Civil Government in 1690. It was written as a defense of the overthrow of King James II and rise to power of William and Mary. This was known as the Glorious Revolution.

When thinking about the role of government in society, everyone has different opinions on what part government should play in their lives. In Locke’s, Second Treatise on Civil Government, the governments primary role is to ensure that people achieve equal natural rights and that they protect the property of its citizens. When beginning to think about that idea, it seems relatively simple and a proper position for the government, and it is, but one must dive deeper into the text and develop ones’ own opinions. Locke’s argument that government should protect natural rights and property is a valid argument with its core components; and the arguments that you are able to point out in it such as using property in a beneficial, and humans being fond of material possessions, helps one understand Locke’s argument and makes it stronger. Being able to relate Locke’s aim of government to present day also enhances the overall scope of this particular Lockean argument.

John Locke and the founding father did not include every single right in the Constitution, however, that does not mean that a right can be claimed without the people’s consent. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Lock discusses the prerogative right that a President can claim. The prerogative right is the right of a president to “act according to discursion for the public good” . Executive Privilege is not usually an issue when the President acts in the common good of individuals because most individuals understand why the action is taken. When an action is for the public good, “the people are very seldom or never scrupulous or nice in the point or questioning of prerogative whilst it is in any tolerable degree employed for the use it

The United States was created by the separation from a tyrannical king. A new colony formed in pursuit of one topic; religious freedom. The founding fathers were arranged to present relief from the king’s ruling. In a time of desperation, the founding fathers were pushed into creating a new form of government that would meet the needs of the people, yet still maintain ordinance. The Mayflower Compact was the first blueprint for the establishment of democracy used present. However, John Locke’s second treatise of government and the Magna Carta is what really gave the founding fathers the foundation that shaped the government known today.

Locke's "Second Treatise, of Civil Government" has the main idea of putting sovereignty into the hands of the people, and this was one of the main ideas behind the constitution. It plays in very well, the framers built the government around the people, by making it a republic. On the national level all people are represented, and as it is divided down to state, county, city, etc. the people gain more power.

The seventeenth century of repression, rebellion and civil war led John Locke to write his Two Treatises of Government, which have continued to provide tremendous outpouring of political and economic views that influence society now. In today’s world, the political and economic theory presented by Locke depends on the initial principle that life is both owning as well as maintaining property. One of the main components of government today is to protect individual rights so that every person may follow his own open-minded self-interests. Although, before Locke the government did not ration for the idea of property, the only example of property was the focus of dedicating your life to your ruler. These ideas progressed into Locke’s theories. Locke reasons that the earth was given to Adam to represent all mankind. God gave the earth to Adam for all man to benefit and gather from it. Locke writes that the principal end of forming a civil government is the protection of property because the state of nature is

John Locke was the biggest inspiration for the creation and ideas of the United States Constitution. Locke believed everyone had the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of property. He also stood firm on his belief that all people came into this world being equal, free, and independent. To protect these rights, Locke and other English philosophers decided to form a government. To get his ideas on paper, he wrote the Two Treatises of Government that acted as a guide to what the government was supposed to be. When it came time to write the Constitution, many of the leaders that formed the document such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin, agreed with John Locke’s beliefs and ideas. They were all inspired by Locke’s statements.

In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government he argues the importance of the state of mind called the state of nature. The state of nature exemplifies a man’s freedom of choice. The same idea is mirrored in Immanuel Kant’s What is Enlightenment, in regards to the importance of achieving enlightenment. Enlightenment is the process of ridding oneself of immaturity though induvial thought. Although, the intellectual capacity is important for governing man, it is not a strong enough influence. I will argue that man needs more of a uniting factor then just a mental state. This factor must be government, which serves the purpose of persevering a man as an individual.

In the 17th century, John Locke, an English philosopher paved the road to modern-day democracy. Lock is one of the first philosophers of the Enlightenment and leader of classical liberalism. In his life, he wrote multiple books and letters, which is considered common thinking today however he was seen as radical. John Locke’s The Two Treatises of Government and his leadership formed a legacy for us today.

John Locke was born on August 29, 1632 in Somerset, England. His father was a lawyer and served in the military during the English Civil War. Growing up, Locke received an astounding education. He went to Westminster School in London, then the Christ Church of Oxford. In the end, he graduated with a bachelor degree in medicine. Locke met the Earl of Shaftsbury, and he became his personal physician. He later wrote “Two Treatises of Government”, which discussed his revolutionary ideas referring to the natural rights and other political theories. This writing caused England to potentially start a revolution, and he was put in exile, meaning he had to leave England. While on exile in Holland, Locke wrote “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”,

John Locke was born in england in 1632. He made a major impact on the enlightenment by thinking about government and peoples rights. Lock wanted constitutional monarchy. Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which the monarch's power is limited by as basic set of laws.His ideas reflected a tradition of limitation on the english monarchy. Then at the year 1215 english nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Cart. Magna cart was basically that even monarchs had to obey english laws and respect certain individual rights. Later parliament became the main check on the monarch's power. During a war in the 1640s Locke's father fought on the side of the parliament. This influenced Locke about his father's beliefs. Then

In this essay, I will argue that the Lockean theory does justify indigenous people’s moral right to engage in armed rebellions for the purpose of overthrowing the governments of Canada and the United States of America. I will defend this thesis by arguing that both settler states are illegitimate as their abuse of power beyond their right/authority over the natives nations lead to wrongful appropriation of territory and failure in recognizing the natives’ form of governance as one of a political community. To justify the appropriation of native land, Lock’s theory of property became very important, morally speaking, for the settlers’ states. However, because John Locke had vested interests in the Europeans’ North American settling, his views

In Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government, he discussed three forms of power and one of them is absolute arbitrary power. Locke defines this type of power as despotical where one person has the mean to take the life and property of another against his or her will. Now that the term “absolute arbitrary power” has been defined, in the situation of applying this power on to oneself, I believe that it is only justifiable if I have this kind of power over myself.

Locke shares a different view of human nature compared to Hobbes. Locke argued human nature is not a constant war but rather a peaceful state. He views humans as peaceful and rational beings, ones that can communicate with one another and can live in harmony without the need of a government authority. Locke believed that people have a knowledge of what he calls the “laws of nature” given by God, instructing us not to harm one another in terms of our rights ( Ingersoll, Matthews, Davison 2010, pg53). Locke explains in his Second Treatise of Government, that the earth is large enough for the small population it consists of thus there is enough for all.

Throughout history, there have been many political philosophers whom influenced the government seen in history books and in modern-day society. Despite the varying ideas about government by each political theorist, aspects of each individual idea can be seen in several political documents such as the United States Declaration of Independence. One of these political theorists being Thomas Hobbes, who believed that people would benefit greatly from a Monarch. While John Locke, another renowned political theorist believed that, though the government could help the people, but did not need absolute control over every aspect of their lives. Though, both theorists had different ideology on the structure of the government the ideas would later go on to influence several political documents including the United States Declaration of Independence.