APFIVE What argument is John Locke making regarding the legitimacy of government in the above speech?
“I believe that the rights bestowed upon every human, including life, liberty, and property, are divine and inalienable. The power of any government is not inherent but is granted through the consent of the people. When rulers betray this sacred trust, the people are justified in revolution to reclaim their natural rights. I argue that the mind is like a blank slate, receiving impressions from experiences which shape the basis of our knowledge. It is through rational inquiry that society may progress and learn the true value of freedom. A government that fails to secure these rights loses its legitimacy and forfeits its mandate. Let it be known, the preservation of natural rights is the utmost duty of any just government.”
John Locke, Second Treatise on Civil Government Speech, 1690
Legitimacy stems solely from the historical traditions and established customs of a society.
The government’s power is absolute and divinely ordained regardless of the people’s consent.
Government legitimacy is derived from the consent of the governed and its duty to protect natural rights.
A government is legitimate only when it suppresses individual dissent in favor of order.
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