“if man in the state of nature is free,… lord of his own person and possessions… why will he part with his freedom? …the answer is obvious: though in the state of nature he has an unrestricted right to his possessions, he is far from assured that he will be able to get the use of them, because they are constantly exposed to invasion by others… hence each man joins in society to preserve his life, liberty, and property. whenever the ruler endeavors to take away the property of the people. or reduce them to slavery… they are removed from any further obedience and left to… rise up with force and violence.” – john locke, (1690)

what is the relationship between the works of enlightenment thinkers like locke and a cultural shift in colonial society?

the british crown used these words to justify their control over the colonies

the founding fathers used exact excerpts to write the constitution

it made the colonist want economic freedom from the british mercantilism system

colonial society used locke’s ideas to justify their right to overthrow british control