Slavery

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts John Locke's "Commitment to the Principle of Consent" in his "Second Treatise on Government" with Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July." Through these works, the paper compares Locke's and Douglass' view on peace and slavery. The paper concludes that both writers argue convincingly that slavery is innately unnatural to the human condition.

From the Paper:

" Locke further points out that government is legitimate only as a result of having the consent of those it governs. Government, moreover, in exchange for that consent, is responsible for protecting citizens' lives, liberty, and estate [property]. In the absence of the consent of the governed, moreover, Locke asserts, citizens have the right to rebel against their government. Locke begins Chapter 4 of his Second Treatise on Government by defining "natural liberty" as the individual's fundamental right to be ruled solely according to the laws of nature, and "social liberty" as the human right to be governed under no legislative power besides one based on the consent of the people it governs."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Douglass, Frederick. "Frederick Douglass Speaks about the Fourth of July." "Frederick Douglass' Fifth of July Speech." [July 4, 1852]. Rochester, New York]. Redandgreen.org. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from: <http://www. redandgreen.org/speech.htm>.
• Locke, John. The Second Treatise on Government. In Two Treatises of Government. 1689. The Project Gutenberg eBook of Two Treatises of Government, by John Locke. February 11, 2002. Retrieved March 19, 2006, from: <http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/trgov10h.htm>.

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