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John Locke's Two Treatises On Civil Government

1458 Words6 Pages

The founders of any government must face the questions: what do men need from government? And how should government be structured to best guarantee these needs? Through his Two Treatises on Civil Government, John Locke, a 17th century political theorist, attempts to answer these difficult questions. Locke’s declaration that men need government to ensure their rights to life and property is supported by information within Fareed Zakaria’s editorial, “Stop being afraid of more government…”; the size changes of government, observed by Zakaria, occur in order to properly secure the people’s rights, while government should remain composed of three branches, with legislative, judicial, and executive authority. Men need government not because they desire to be subject to the …show more content…

As the people need government to protect their lives and property, the changing size of government becomes necessary to address current issues which threaten these rights. As government expands or shrinks, it does so only to ensure what Locke called “the mutual preservation” (1689) of the needs of the people. During FDR’s presidency, the Great Depression ensured that the government expanded greatly, as citizens required economic assistance to maintain their lives and property. When George W. Bush expanded the authority of the Executive branch to encompass the Department of Homeland Security, he did so because of recent terrorism which posed a threat to the lives and property of the public. The degree of government’s involvement is determined by what problems the public faces--which the government must address. Indeed, as the American public faces various challenges, the government’s policy agenda reflects these changes. However, the US government still maintains a consistent structure, in line with Locke’s beliefs of the needs of the

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