Question

How did John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government contribute to the civil rights protections included in the U.S. Constitution?

Answer 1

In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke identified the basis of a legitimate government. According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed. The duty of that government is to protect the natural rights of the people, which Locke believed to include life, liberty, and property.