John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government was issued in 1689. The treatise outlines Locke's ideas for creating a more civilized society. Locke's work greatly influenced the Declaration of Independence.
Passage 1
from Second Treatise of Civil Government
by John Locke
Sect. 4. TO understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man.
A state also of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another; there being nothing more evident, than that creatures of the same species and rank, promiscuously born to all the same advantages of nature, and the use of the same faculties, should also be equal one amongst another without subordination or subjection, unless the lord and master of them all should, by any manifest declaration of his will, set one above another, and confer on him, by an evident and clear appointment, an undoubted right to dominion and sovereignty.
Passage 2
from The Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Which of the following is an idea shared by both documents?
A.
Both documents state that the government establishes the natural rights of people.
B.
Both documents state that all people should have the same rights and privileges.
C.
Both documents state that people should have identical properties to avoid conflict.
D.
Both documents state that the government should determine how people think.