There are many different opinions on what government should be, what government should do, and how government should be run. In Mrs. Reber's seventh hour social studies class, three different methods of governing the people were discussed. Between John Locke's, Jean Rousseau's, and Bishop Boussuet's opinions, it is obvious that John Locke presents the most logical arrangement-- a government ruled by the people. John Locke's government is controlled by the people, and therefore is for the people, secondly, it is a government where the rights of the followers are protected, and lastly this form of government also protects the people by offering defense and safety in numbers.

First, John Locke's system of government is led by the people. Unlike Boussuet's system, in which the King is the leader, the people are the basis for the government. There is a hierarchy in the government, one that serves to protect the people. This is how the people are protected. With no hierarchy, there is no way to make decisions or protect the people. This system also allows for checks and balances to be made. It is not just one person who makes the decision, but a large group. Locke says that this group will protect the people, even if one person tries to take their rights away, when he says "when legislators try to destroy or take away the property of the people…they put themselves into a state of war with the populace." There are many people ensuring that the power of a governing body is not abused. There is no absolute power in which one person controls the people. Instead, a governing group makes decisions, limiting the power of any one individual. All this leads to a government that is better overall than a socialistic government or a monarchy. John Locke's system is better than the other two at serving and protecting the people in this way.

The second way in which John Locke's form of government serves the people better is that the rights and freedoms of the people are protected. The freedoms of the people should not be challenged under the system of Locke. The members of the society may leave at any time if they wish and return to a state of nature. The people also have all the rights they have in a state of nature. The only difference is that some actions may have consequences, which are a way to keep the people from performing these types of actions. Logic also assures this safety according to Locke, when he says "since all men are equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions." This system ensures the rights of its members, unlike in a socialistic situation where people in some cases must be "forced to be free." A person is also protected from one person in power deciding that people should not have rights. A King can not claim "Divine inspiration from God" and take away the rights of the people. All this is another example of the advantages of a system like the one that was developed by Locke.

Lastly, this form of government can provide a system of defense for the followers of it. In this government, there is not just safety in numbers, as a true socialistic government might have. Because there is the hierarchy to establish protection in a Locke style system, such defense can be provided. The government can establish a military, and can therefore protect itself from other countries. In addition, the government can set up a court system to protect followers of the government from each other. In a socialistic system, because no person is supposed to be higher than any other is, there would be no person who could make this kind of decision. If everyone is supposed to be the same, what right would one person have to make decisions about another? A system that put one person at a higher level than another would not be able to be enacted in a true socialistic society. In addition, in a monarchy such as Boussuet's system, since the King is supposed to have absolute power, this kind of system would necessarily include the King. This would provide a major obstacle, because in this type of system, the side the King preferred would always win. This would prevent any legislature against the King from succeeding. All these are reasons that Locke's system provides the best system for the people.

There are three main reasons that John Locke's form of government is the best of the three discussed in class. It is led by the people, so that the people are the one's making the decisions. In this government, the rights and freedoms of the members are protected, and this government is the best organized for the defense of the people, due to the hierarchy inherent in the government. All these reasons combine to make John Locke's government the best for the people.