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Around 1680, he wrote his Two Treatises on Government, a book that was published in 1689 (the year of the Glorious Revolution).

Three of Locke’s Main points:

- In a state of nature, all people are free and equal.

- People form laws and governments to better protect their natural rights

- When the government becomes oppressive and does not protect the people rights, they have the right to rebel and make a new government.

III The English Bill of Rights

Text A begins with a list of abuses committed by King James: He took away people’s rights. He also made laws without asking Parliament. He used the army as a threat against the people. He disarmed the people. He took away the people right to vote. He made the justice system unfair.

So they decided to establish certain freedoms as rights, which cannot be taken away:

- The right to have a representative government.

- The right to complain against the government’s policy or ask for its help.

- The right not to be harassed (= harcelé) by the army.

- The right to bear arms.

- The right to vote.

- The freedom of speech (= la liberté d’expression).

- The right to have a fair trial (= procès).

IV The American Declaration of Independence

Why did the American colonists have a revolution?

Taxation (= impôts): Taxes were imposed on the American colonists by the government in London. But because they were colonists, the Americans were not allowed to elect representatives to defend them in Parliament.

“No taxation without representation!”

In the end, they decided to do what Locke said: declare independence and make a new government. Thomas Jefferson was asked to write a Declaration of Independence.

He based a lot of his text on the ideas of John Locke and the English Bill of Rights.

Text B is an explanation of the causes.

The colonists have no choice: they must become independent.

How many “truths” are there?

4 truths:

- All men are equal.

- All men have rights.

- Men make governments to protect their rights.

- When a government to protect their rights people’s rights, the people can destroy it and make a new one.

What kind of truths are they?

The truths are “self-evident” which means that everybody knows they exist and what they are. Les verités indéniables.

How many rights are there?

There are at least three rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But there are others that he doesn’t mention: “Among these…”

What kinds of rights are there?

They are unalienable rights, which means you can’t take them away: you can’t alienable man from the rights.

Where does government get its power?

Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the government.

When it’s a just government, it gets it from the people.

When the people make a new government must it be a democracy?

No. Laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.

But it has to be abolished if there is a long train of abuses and usurpations.

Like in Locke, 2nd Treatise (§225).

How do you know it’s time to make a new government?

When the government becomes oppressive and does not protect the people’s rights, they have the right to rebel and make a new government.

Is it an obligation to change the government or is it just an option?

“It is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government”.

It’s both a “right” and a “duty” to change the government when it is oppressive.

The rest of the document deals with a list of complaints.

There is a huge variety, but they all involve the idea that the colonists were not consulted before important decisions were made. It’s modelled on the English Bill of Rights.

V The American Bill of Rights and some other Amendments to the US Constitution

Amendment 1 guarantees:

- Freedom of religion (worship)

- Freedom of speech

- Freedom of the press

- Freedom of assembly

- Freedom of petitioning and criticizing the government

In other words, no official religion and no prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

Amendment 2 secures the right to carry a gun, in a well-regulated militia.

Amendment 3 bars the government from forcing individuals to provide lodging to soldiers in their personal homes (no Quartering Acts), except during times of war.

Amendment 4 secures:

- The right to be protected against unreasonable searches and seizures.

- The right not to