John Locke

In 1688, King James II was forced to abdicate the British throne, and his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, were invited to take the throne by the British parliament. Once again, Britain had removed a monarch in the so-called Glorious Revolution. John Locke, a British scholar and doctor, wrote his well known work, Two Treatises of Government, in 1690 to justify this English revolution.

Audio: Two Treatises of Government

In his treatise, Locke explains the origins and purposes of civil government by first describing the natural state.

Click the play button ( ) below to listen and read along with this selection as Locke describes the natural state. Be sure to set your volume at a reasonable level before you begin.

You have learned how John Locke perceived the natural state and why man chose to enter a civil society. What obligations does the government have in the civil society? What obligation does the individual have? Do you think Americans would agree with this?