The Second Treatise of Civil Government - Essay Example

The Second Treatise of Civil Government Introduction The second treatise of civil government is mainly about the theory of a civil society. It can be traced back to 1688 when John Locke came up with the ideas after a revolution had taken place1. The article provides a lot of information on the issues of civil society. It also focuses on the issues of governance and the political system. According to the article, a legitimate government must have the consent of the people. This explains the issues that are related to the democracy of governments. The theory also justifies a revolution by the people to overthrow the government. Freedom is one of the aspects that have also been highlighted in the theory. According to the theory, freedom plays an essential role in the society inn enabling the people to carry out their activities and make decisions. The paper thus discusses the concepts of second treatise of civil government in relation to freedom. Discussion The principle of freedom is an important aspect in the society today. According to the theory of John Locke, freedom is the ability to be free from any legislative power except that established by consent by the commonwealth. This is an indication that freedom enables the individuals to carry out their activities without any hindrance while at the same time obey the laws that are in place. It is however important tin ore that the theory indicates that the laws should be just and have the support of the people. This is considering that some of the laws may not be just and therefore interfere with the freedom of the people. The theory also highlights that the freedom does not mean that the individuals should do anything. Freedom of nature involves being under no restraint except the laws of nature. This is an indication that freedom has its own limitations based on the activities that individuals are involved in. Freedom is important in ensuring that the individuals are able to carry out their activities without the fear of being arrested or harassed2. Different forms of freedom exist in the current world. The different types of freedoms are recognized by the government in the United States of America and it based on theses freedoms that the individuals are allowed to carry out certain activities and restrained from carrying out other activities. Freedom also comes with a sense of responsibility and the individuals are supposed to be responsible when carrying out different activities. The issues of slavery have also been highlighted in the article. Slavery has negative impacts on the freedom of the individuals. This is because a slave does not have any freedom and cannot make any decision. The master decides everything for the slave which puts their life at the mercy of their master. Freedom is therefore important to the society in enabling the individuals to be involved in different political, social and economic activity. The freedom that the individuals enjoy in the society determines the levels of democracy. The theory of John Locke considers freedom as one of the most important aspect in the society. It is through freedom that the members of the society can make decisions on how they should be governed. The limitation of the freedom in the society in most cases results to dictatorship. In countries where the basic freedom of the individuals is limited, the quality of life is usually poor and such regimes are considered dictatorial. It is the duty of the government to ensure that the freedom of the individuals is protected. The United States of America has experienced a lot of changes which has impacted positively on the freedom of different members of the society. Freedom of speech is one of the basic freedoms that is usually upheld3. It is through the freedom of speech that the individuals ate able to criticize the government policies or actions and influence change in the society. Freedom is therefore useful to the society as it enhances the quality of life and enable the individuals to express themselves without any fear. How the principle has affected the lives of the people The principle of freedom has impacted positively on the lives of the people over the years. The principle of freedom has led to various changes in the society over a period of time. In the past, the black people were considered slaves and were under their masters who could decide anything for them. However, slaver was abolished and the black people became free citizens of the United States of America. Freedom has therefore impacted positively on the livelihood of the people in America. It is through the freedom that the black people are able to move to any part if the country without any restrictions which is unlike the past. On the other hand, it is through the second amendment that the Americans were able to experience major changes which had positive impacts on the American people4. It is through the freedom that the black people were able to vote and also contest for elective positions. This has impacted positively on the political process. Democracy has also been attained through the principles of freedom as the life of each individual is protected. The United States of America is considered as one of the most democratic countries in the world in terms of its political processes. This is also attributed to the principle of freedom. In the past, most of the American were not satisfied with the political process which seemed discriminatory. However, in the current situation the changes has made the political process more transparent and acceptable for all. The freedom in the political process has seen the United States of America elect an African American president. This could not be possible in the past as the entire political system was a preserve for the whites. The principle of freedom has also impacted positively on the social lives of the people in United States of America. Over time the issues of religion was contentious and the people did not have the freedom of religion. However, in the current society in the United States of America, the people are free to worship in any religion of their choice. The discrimination of the individuals based on their religion has stopped due to the freedom of worship. The freedom to associate has also impacted positively on the people in the United States of America. The people are free to form groups for their own benefits without any hindrance as long as it is not involved in any criminal activities. It is also important to note that the freedom of association has enabled the people to join or form any political parties of their choice. The benefits of the principles of freedom is also felt by individuals of different sexual orientation5. The adults in the society are free to be of any sexual orientation with same sex marriages recognized by the law. This has played important role in ensuring that the individuals are not discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation. The principle of freedom as outlined in the theory of John Locke theory has led to many changes in the American society. The principle of freedom has also resulted to economic development in the country. The American citizens are free to start their businesses at any part of the country. This is unlike the past where the black people were not allowed to own businesses or any property. This has impacted positively on the economic condition of the people. Poverty reduction in the country is as a result of the economic freedom which has positive impacts on the lives of the people. The Americans have the right to know how the government is spending its funds for the purposes of economic freedom. The presence of economic freedom has contributed to a high level of transparency in the government6. It is also important to note that the success of the economic policies is as a result of the freedom that the people have been enjoying. The quality of life has improved over the years as a result of the economic freedom. Over time, the lives of the people have greatly improved due to the presence of freedom. The police in the past had a lot of powers and police brutality was the order of the day. This was due to the limited freedom that the individuals had. However, the situation has changed and police brutality has greatly reduced. The respect for the freedom of the citizens has also ensured that the people are involved in any major decisions. Application of the principles of freedom The principles of freedom are currently being applied correctly in most of the instances. The principle of freedom is being applied for the purposes of benefiting the members of the society. A lot of focus is usually placed on the freedom of the individuals to carry out their activities as long as it is within the law. The principle of freedom is mainly use for the purposes of promoting the human rights in the society. This has led to tremendous changes in the society in terms of respect for the human rights. Reforms in the police have always been carried out based on the principle of freedom and hence enabling the police to respect the freedoms of the citizens. The relationship between the police and the community members has been improved due to the application of the principle of freedom7. However more needs to be done as there still incidences of police not respecting the freedoms of the people I the society. In other incidences, the police do not respect the freedom of the black people who are commonly branded as criminals. Some of the policies that allow the police to stop and search anybody has negative impacts on the freedom of the individuals. According to the theory of John Locke, freedom does not mean that the individuals should do anything they please. It is for this reason that some stiff laws have been put in place to deter crimes. This does not mean that the freedom of the individuals is being limited or curtailed. The principle of freedom is usually considered during the process of developing laws and regulations. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the citizen is able to enjoy their freedom to the full. Improvements are being made in most sectors due to the application of the principle of freedom. Most of the people fully understand their rights due to the presence of principle of freedom8. The principles of freedom are also impacting positively on the loyalty of the people. This is considering that the United States of America is usually referred to as the home of the free. The application of the principle of freedom has played an essential role in ensuring that the country does not witness any political unrest for years. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that John Locke’s second treatise of civil government plays an important role in influencing the society. Freedom is one of the important principles that has been highlighted in the theory. It is evident that the freedom has played an essential role in terms of improving the lives of the people in terms of the political, economical and social aspect. The United States of America is using the principle of freedom for the purposes of benefiting the citizens. It is however evident that the country is still facing some challenges in terms of implementing the principles of freedom. The infringement of the freedom of the citizens by the police is still taking place. References Locke, J. (2014). Second Treatise of Government: An Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent and End of Civil Government. John Wiley & Sons. Joseph, S., & Castan, M. (2013). The international covenant on civil and political rights: cases, materials, and commentary. Oxford University Press. Mercieca, J. R. (2015). The Fourteenth Amendment and the Privileges and Immunities of American Citizenship. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 101(1), 306-311. Read More