John Locke (1632 - 1704) an English Philosopher
John Locke, an English philosopher (1632-1704), was a major influence in England and on the American colonists in his writing of "The Second Treatise of Civil Government". Many of the ideals in his writings are obvious to the reader of the Constitution.
The following comparison of the our basis constitutional rights are made to the writings of Locke.
| Equality | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter II "Of the State of Nature" "... What state all men are naturally in and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, ..." and "A state of equality, ... should also be equal one amongst another without subordination of subjection, ..." "That all men by nature are equal" |
| Rights | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter II "Of the State of Nature" "And that all men may be restrained from invading others rights, and from doing hurt to one another, ..." |
| Punishment | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter II "Of the State of Nature" "teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being an equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or processions:" |
| Death Penalty | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter II "Of the State of Nature" "It will perhaps be demanded, with death? I answer, each transgression may be punished to that degree, and with so much severity, as will suffice to make it an ill bargain to the offender, give him cause to repent, and terrify others from doing the like." |
| Self Defense | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter III "Of the State of War" "I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction: ... the safety of the innocent is to be preferred: and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him." |
| Slavery | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter III "Of the State of War" "he who attempts to get another man into his absolute power, does thereby put himself into a state of war with him: ... for no body can desire to have me in his absolute power, unless it to be compel me by force to that which is against the right of my freedom, i.e. make me a slave." |
| Slavery | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter IV "Of Slavery" "This is the perfect condition of slavery, which is nothing else, but the state of war continued, between a lawful conqueror and a captive: ... no man can, by agreement, pass over to another that which he hath not in himself, a power over his own life." |
| Property | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter V "Of Property" "yet every man has a property in his own person: this no body has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his." "for this labour being the unquestionable property of the labourer ..." "and labour was to be his title to it" |
| Property and Possessions | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter V "Of Property" "So that God, ... which requires labour and materials to work on, necessarily introduces private possessions." |
| Value of Labour | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter V "Of Property" "for it is labour indeed that puts the difference of value on everything" "It is labour then which puts the greatest part of value upon land ... It is to that we owe the greatest part of all its useful products ... is all the effect of labour." |
| Man Property | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter V "Of Property" "man, by being master of himself, and proprietor of his own person, and the actions or labour of it, has still in himself the foundation of property" "Thus labour, in the beginning, gave a right of property" |
| Money | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter V "Of Property" "And thus came in the use of money, some lasting thing that men might keep without spoiling, and that by mutual consent men would take in exchange for the truly useful, but perishable supports of life." |
| Equality | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter VI "Of Paternal Power" "That all men by nature are equal. ... being that equal right, that every man hath, to his natural freedom, without being subjected to the will or authority of any other man." |
| Children and Equality | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter VI "Of Paternal Power" "Children, I confess, are not born in this full state of equality, though they are born to it. Their parents have a sort of rule and jurisdiction over them, when they come into the world, and for some time after; but it is a temporary one." |
| Education | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter VI "Of Paternal Power" "...all parents were, by the law of nature, under an obligation to preserve, nourish, and educate the children they had begotten" |
| Law and Freedom | Taking from "The Second Treatise of Civil Government - 1690" in chapter VI "Of Paternal Power" "...where there is no law, there is no freedom: for liberty is, to be free from restraint and violence from others: which cannot be, where there is no law: but freedom is not, as we are told, a liberty for every man to do as he lists: but a liberty to dispose, and order as he lists, his person, actions, possessions, and his whole property ..." |