John Locke 1690

  Rule of Law  Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence  Not to find our new principles  Place before men the common sense of the subject  Locke’s emphasis  Property rights  Right of the people to dissolve government Introduction

  Man is born in a natural state of freedom  Each with an equal state of sovereignty  Abuse of freedom can hurt others  Government for the good of others  With the collective power to punish  Punishment should only be to correct  Punishment should be equal Summary

  We are willing to give up freedom to preserve our property  Protecting property is the purpose for government  We need to establish law, but some will not follow  We need unbiased judges, but they have agendas too  We need authority, but it can be abused Summary

  Governments are born from our inability to live well  We all have the natural powers of preservation and punishment  We make laws together to preserve better  Working together gets more done  Keep it together, but enter into a new agreement if it makes life better Summary

  First, establish a legislative power that is under the rule of law as well  These are the rules for governing  Fairness  For all good  Consent for taxation  Public access Summary

  People can resist a legislative that works contrary to the rules  Our natural rights allow us to resist an oppressor  The people will judge if the government broke their trust  Individuals give up authority so long as the government is functioning, but if it does not they can replace it Summary