Two Treatises of Government

Published anonymously following the Glorious Revolution, this work dismantles the theory of the divine right of kings before constructing a framework for civil government. In the first treatise, Locke refutes Robert Filmer’s argument that monarchs inherit absolute authority from Adam. The second treatise establishes that individuals exist originally in a state of nature, governed by reason and natural laws regarding life, liberty, and property. To protect these rights, people enter a social contract to form a legislative power. Locke argues that sovereignty remains with the people, who retain a right to dissolve any government that breaches this trust or acts with tyranny.

Students of political philosophy and constitutional law read this text to understand the mechanical origins of liberal democracy. The book provides a technical vocabulary for discussing individual autonomy, the separation of powers, and the legal limits of executive authority. Readers walk away with a specific justification for representative rule and a clear definition of property rights rooted in human labor. It serves as a primary reference for those analyzing the structural foundations of the American and French revolutions.