Legitimacy of the U.S. Government

Paper Summary:

Explores the question of the legitimacy of the United States government using Locke's political philosophy of Contractarianism and his Principle of Legitimacy. This explanation includes a definition and a discussion of the purpose of government, Locke's Principle of Legitimacy, the idea of consent and why consent leads to a legitimate government.

From the Paper:

"In order to discuss why a government is a legitimate one, the definition of government must first be established. A dictionary definition of the word government reads as:
"The organization or apparatus through which a governing individual or body functions and exercises authority." The United States government fits this definition simply by having authority and exercising it over a group of people through being an official organization. The government of the United States was set up and laid out by the Constitution for the intention of ruling and benefiting its citizens. In the specific example of the United States a governing individual does not rule, but a governing body with an official head rules. The three branches of the government, executive, legislative, and judicial, serve as an organization through which authority is exercised. Government, according to Locke, also has a specific purpose. The purpose of Locke's legitimate government is "to protect property," which means it must supply the three things that are absent in the state of nature: settled law, judges, and enforcement power. "

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