Question

How would political philosopher John Locke explain the relationship between population, sovereignty, and government in this diagram?

A. Locke held that government held sovereignty over the people without exception.
B. Locke held that the principle of popular sovereignty endowed the people with the right of resistance to illegitimate government.
C. Locke held that sovereignty, vested in the people, could never be entirely transferred to government.
D. According to Locke, governmental sovereignty had to be periodically reconfirmed by the people.

Answer 1

Correct answer: B. Locke held that the principle of popular sovereignty endowed the people with the right of resistance to illegitimate government.

John Locke believed people are born as blank slates--with no preexisting knowledge or moral leanings. Experience then guides them to the knowledge and the best form of life, which includes choosing to form governments to make life and society better.

His political philosophy was rooted in "social contract" theory. According to his view, a government's power to govern comes from the consent of the people themselves -- those who are to be governed. This was a change from the previous ideas of "divine right monarchy" -- that a king ruled because God appointed him to be the ruler. Locke repudiated the views of divine right monarchy in his First Treatise on Civil Government (1690). In his Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690), Locke argued for the rights of the people to create their own governments according to their own desires and for the sake of protecting their own life, liberty, and property. This included the people retaining the right to resist and replace an illegitimate government.

Answer 2

B. Locke held that the principle of popular sovereignty endowed the people with the right of resistance to illegitimate government.

Locke believed people had natural rights and those rights were to be protected by a government. In exchange for entering into society a government is necessary but the government has no sovereign power at all. Sovereignty, or decision making power, rests in the hands of the people and they have the right to change the government if it is not meeting the needs of the people.