Second Treatise Of Government

The Second Treatise of Government is John Locke's monumental treatise, setting forth his ideas for a more civilized society based on natural rights and contract theory, originally published in 1689. In the second treatise Locke sets forth the basic principles of natural law by which he believes man should be governed. Locke covers such themes as conquest and slavery, property, representative government, and the right of revolution. The “Second Treatise of Government” remains to this day a highly influential work of political science and helped to lay the foundation for many of the principles of western democracy.