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Second Treatise of Government

John Locke

John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government, published in 1689 together with the First Treatise shortly after England's Glorious Revolution. It argues that legitimate political authority rests on the consent of the governed and exists to protect natural rights to life, liberty, and property. The work profoundly shaped Anglo-American political thought, including the Declaration of Independence, and remains the foundational text of classical liberalism.

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Contents

1. Preface
2. Book II
   1. Chapter I
   2. Chapter II
   3. Chapter III
   4. Chapter IV
   5. Chapter V
   6. Chapter VI
   7. Chapter VII
   8. Chapter VIII
   9. Chapter IX
   10. Chapter X
   11. Chapter XI
   12. Chapter XII
   13. Chapter XIII
   14. Chapter XIV
   15. Chapter XV
   16. Chapter XVI
   17. Chapter XVII
   18. Chapter XVIII
   19. Chapter XIX