According to Locke, why do people form governments?

According to Locke, why do people form governments?

• A. To preserve life, liberty, and property
• B. To increase ruler's power
• C. To ensure religious uniformity
• D. To avoid taxation

Answer: (A)

Locke argues that governments exist to secure natural rights—life, liberty, and property—by means of a social contract. In the state of nature, rights aren’t reliably protected, and conflicts over possessions can escalate. People consent to form a government to establish laws and impartial courts that enforce rights and contracts, creating a predictable, stable framework for living together. That consent gives the government legitimacy, and its proper purpose is to preserve these rights. If the government fails to protect them or becomes tyrannical, the people retain the right to resist or dissolve it. So the best answer states the government's purpose as safeguarding life, liberty, and property. It isn’t about increasing rulers’ power, imposing religious uniformity, or avoiding taxation; taxation in Locke’s view is morally legitimate only when it trusts and protects those core rights.

Locke argues that governments exist to secure natural rights—life, liberty, and property—by means of a social contract. In the state of nature, rights aren’t reliably protected, and conflicts over possessions can escalate. People consent to form a government to establish laws and impartial courts that enforce rights and contracts, creating a predictable, stable framework for living together. That consent gives the government legitimacy, and its proper purpose is to preserve these rights. If the government fails to protect them or becomes tyrannical, the people retain the right to resist or dissolve it.

So the best answer states the government's purpose as safeguarding life, liberty, and property. It isn’t about increasing rulers’ power, imposing religious uniformity, or avoiding taxation; taxation in Locke’s view is morally legitimate only when it trusts and protects those core rights.