John Locke anonymously published the *Second Treatise of Government* in England in 1689, though historical evidence suggests he drafted much of the manuscript earlier during the Exclusion Crisis of 1679–1681 and his subsequent exile in Holland. The treatise emerged during a period of intense political turmoil that culminated in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of King James II. English society was deeply fractured by the struggle between absolute monarchical power, championed by the Stuart kings, and the rising demand for parliamentary authority. The dominant political ideology of the era relied on the "divine right of kings," a doctrine asserting that monarchs derived their authority directly from God, leaving subjects with no justifiable right to question or resist their rule.
Against this volatile backdrop, Locke’s work was profoundly radical and controversial. He systematically dismantled the divine right theory, arguing instead that political legitimacy stems from a "social contract" among free individuals. Locke asserted that all people are naturally endowed with fundamental rights—namely life, liberty, and property—and that a government's sole purpose is to protect these liberties. Most controversially, he declared that if a ruler becomes tyrannical, the people possess the inherent right to rebel and establish a new government. Because such ideas were considered treasonous, Locke concealed his authorship for years. Ultimately, the *Second Treatise* left an indelible mark on global history and political literature. It became the foundational text of classical liberalism, heavily influencing Enlightenment thinkers and providing the philosophical bedrock for the American and French Revolutions. Thomas Jefferson famously echoed Locke’s principles in the Declaration of Independence, cementing the treatise’s enduring legacy as a cornerstone of modern democratic thought.
