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What Are The Limitations Of John Locke's Two Treatises Of Government

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Classical Liberalism

Classical liberalism is a political ideology that focuses on the state, freedom, and autonomy. One of the key ideologies of the American revolution, classical liberal thinking was used to lay the foundation of the American state. A classical liberal political system would respect the rule of law, put an emphasis on individual autonomy, possess a limited government, and hold a market economy, specifically that with limited government intervention. The ideas for classical liberalism were proposed by a number of philosophers, economists, and politicians dating back to the age of enlightenment. This period of the seventeenth and eighteenth century following the scientific revolution, was marked by both rationalist and utilitarian …show more content…

One of the earliest forms of government limitations is the Magna Carta signed by the English king John in 1215. This document promised the protection of church rights, protected the barons from imprisonment, and limited feudal payments to the crown and was one of the first documents that limited the power of the monarch. In Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, he outlines four limitations on government power. The first is that governments should adhere to the rule of law; All citizens should be subject to the same laws. Locke’s second limitation is that laws should only be designed for the common good, or what is beneficial for the most people in a society. The third proposal is that taxes should not be levied on people who are not represented in government. This idea of “no taxation without representation” would become an important motto and catalyst in the American revolution. Locke also stated that the government should not raise taxes on people without their consent. Finally, Locke's fourth limitation is that the government cannot delegate law making to any other entity without the consent of the people. According to classical liberal thinking, the limitations of government should be entrenched in a constitution, that is, a legal document from which all other laws are derived and to which all citizens are

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