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One of John Locke's beliefs was that the government's main purpose was to protect and secure the natural of citizens, that they couldn't effectively protect themselves. He believed that without any form of government, people would return to their natural state of selfishness.

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Thomas Jefferson extracted the most famous ideas in the Declaration of Independence from Locke's writing in his novel called Two Treatises of Government. The phrase "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" was first a thought by Locke before it was in the Declaration of Independence. Another idea of Locke's that deeply influenced Jefferson as he drafted the paper, was if the government failed to protect the citizens natural rights, citizens would have the right to overthrow the government.

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He wrote that all individuals are equal in that a way that they were all born with certain "inalienable" natural rights. Among these fundamental god-given rights were "life, liberty, and property." By property he meant that more than lands and goods can be sold, or even given away by the government in certain circumstances. It also referred to ownership of one's self and a right to personal well being.

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Costly, Andrew. “Natural Rights - Constitutional Rights Foundation.” Natural Rights - Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2001, www.crf-usa.org/foundations-of-our-constitution/natural-rights.html.

Moseley, Alexander. “John Locke Political Philosophy .” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002, www.iep.utm.edu/locke-po/.

History.com Editors. “John Locke.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/british-history/john-locke.

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John Locke believed that power is essential to to function of a peaceful commonwealth, but it has to be constantly checked and controlled, and also used to protect national interests.

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Locke's political philosophy is divided into two visible eras- his Oxford period and his Shaftesbury period. During his Oxford days while he was a student and a tutor he was more morally and politically conservative. It wasn't until he matured that he developed into a radical supporter of religious freedom, individual liberty and conscience.