Two Treatises of Government by John Locke (1689)

Two Treatises of Government, written by John Locke and published in 1689, is a foundational work of modern political philosophy that reshaped ideas about power, rights, and legitimate government. In the first treatise, Locke dismantles arguments for absolute monarchy, while in the second he lays out a theory of government based on natural rights, consent of the governed, and the rule of law. He argues that people are born with rights to life, liberty, and property, and that governments exist to protect those rights, not to override them. Deeply influential on Enlightenment thought and the American founding, the book remains central to debates about democracy, authority, and individual freedom.