Government is a Social Contract

According to John Locke, people must FIRST have the freedom to choose their own government before they will respect their government.

• True

• False

According to Locke people will never agree to be governed unless they are given ____ which they have agreed to.

According to Locke people will never agree to be governed unless they are given the right to own ________, which can not be taken away without their consent.

According to Locke, if the people are forced to be governed (they are forcefully ruled), they are not free and are enslaved by a government that is at war with them.

• True

• False

Based on John Locke's ideas regarding a Social Contract, would he agree that the American colonies were justified in leaving Britain? Why?

• Yes because they were forced to obey laws that they did not consent to.

• Yes because they forced to work on plantations without pay.

• No because Britain did not violate any of their rights and only treated them with respect.

• No because the King of England and George Washington were good friends and so everyone was treated the same.

Thomas Jefferson once said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Does Mr. Jefferson agree or disagree with Mr. Locke's ideas on a social contract? How do you know?

• Jefferson agrees with Locke because they both talk about people having rights and giving consent to be ruled.

• Jefferson disagrees because he does not think that governments are necessary.

An agreement among the people and the government is called a

• natural law

• separation of powers

• check

• social contract