What Is John Locke The Power Of Government

Widely considered the father of the enlightenment, John Locke was a British doctor, politician, and philosopher who believed that people are naturally good and deserve the right to help govern themselves. He also strongly believed in the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property- natural rights. This idea of natural rights and that of a direct constitutional democracy have served as a template for many countries’ government systems, including the founding documents of the United States. In Locke’s ideal system, the government is put into place by the people for the purpose of protection. He stresses the importance of creating a very delicate balance between the power of the government and the power of the people. The government
In other words, a pre-established set of laws exists that does not change from case to case. All citizens are seen as equal under the law and all are aware of the law. According to Locke, people have the natural power to govern themselves completely, but they gave it to the government in exchange for protection (Locke, 413). It is the government’s duty to fulfill these citizens’ wishes and protect each citizen to the best of its ability, and since each citizen gave up an equal amount of power, it stands to reason that the government would see all citizens as equal and treat them as such.
What can the people do when the entity they trusted to protect them becomes tyrannical and harmful? Locke said that “If government fails to fulfill the end for which it was established- the preservation of the individual’s right to life, liberty, and property- the people have a right to dissolve that government” (Locke, 413). In other words, the people have a right to rebel and overthrow a government that no longer protects their natural rights. Some people believed that having a system in which people were allowed to rebel would encourage chaos, bloodshed, and frequent rebellion, but Locke defended his position by saying that revolution only happens when the people’s rights are greatly violated or when a large number of small inconveniences add up, so the people will not have a reason to rebel unless the government gives them a reason (Locke,