Political Legitimacy: The Perspectives of Locke and Rousseau
This five page undergraduate paper examines the political theories of Locke and Rousseau. Locke insisted that all men are by nature equal and understood that the formation of government and the criteria for legitimacy were based upon a hypothetical state of nature. Through his examination of this concept he concluded that freedom and independence are linked closely with equality, that men should be equal and independent, and that they have equal rights to natural freedom. Thus governments are obligated to protect these rights, and those that fail break a sacred trust and are not legitimate.
