The passage below was written by John Locke in his Second Treatise of Civil Government.

Question

The passage below was written by John Locke in his Second Treatise of Civil Government.

"Government being for the preservation of every man's right and property, by preserving him from the violence of injury of others, is for the good of the governed."
Based on this passage, with which complaint in the Declaration of Independence would John Locke agree?

Answer 1

John Locke would likely agree with the complaint in the Declaration of Independence that King George III had "erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." Locke believed that government should exist to protect the natural rights and property of its citizens, and would likely see the excessive and oppressive actions of King George as a violation of this principle.