Essay On John Locke's Second Treatise Of Government
The Second Treatise of Government written by John Locke had a huge impact on the historical development of the world from 1690 to 1830. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke explains that all men are in a “state of nature,” (Lock, p. 35) which is created by god, and in this state they must be equal. Therefore, no man can have a higher authority over the other unless he is “agreeing with other men to join and unite into a community for their comfortable, safe and peaceable living one amongst another,” (Locke, p. 36). Such agreement allows men to create a society that works for them as a whole, thus this society will allow them the “preservation of their property,” (Lock, p. 38). Locke’s motivation for writing the Second Treatise
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Hector St. John De Crevecoeur, Thomas Paine and, Jean-Jacques Rousseau were all inspired by Locke’s theory. Crevecoeur moved to America and fell in love with its society, where he encountered a new form of government different from that in Europe, “It is not composed, as in Europe, of great lords who possess everything and a herd of people who have nothing,” (Crevecoeur, p. 55) he states that there is not much difference in the social classes of America. Crevecoeur expresses his love for the American Government in this quote, “we have no princes, for whom we toil, starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world,” (Crevecoeur, p. 56). Thomas Paine did not understand how men all “equals in the order of creation,” (Paine, p.61) could be broken down “into Kings and Subjects,” (Paine, p. 62). Both Crevecoeur and Paine wanted equality upon the people, as did Locke. Rousseau portrays the same idea as Locke; a man will have to lose specific aspects of his freedom when entering a society, however, he will gain a united freedom of all the people which will obey each other, “Man loses by the social contract his natural liberty, . . . which he can obtain; in return he acquires civil liberty and proprietorship of all he possesses,” (Paine,
Hector St. John De Crevecoeur, Thomas Paine and, Jean-Jacques Rousseau were all inspired by Locke’s theory. Crevecoeur moved to America and fell in love with its society, where he encountered a new form of government different from that in Europe, “It is not composed, as in Europe, of great lords who possess everything and a herd of people who have nothing,” (Crevecoeur, p. 55) he states that there is not much difference in the social classes of America. Crevecoeur expresses his love for the American Government in this quote, “we have no princes, for whom we toil, starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world,” (Crevecoeur, p. 56). Thomas Paine did not understand how men all “equals in the order of creation,” (Paine, p.61) could be broken down “into Kings and Subjects,” (Paine, p. 62). Both Crevecoeur and Paine wanted equality upon the people, as did Locke. Rousseau portrays the same idea as Locke; a man will have to lose specific aspects of his freedom when entering a society, however, he will gain a united freedom of all the people which will obey each other, “Man loses by the social contract his natural liberty, . . . which he can obtain; in return he acquires civil liberty and proprietorship of all he possesses,” (Paine,