John Locke, among other things, was a 17th-century political philosopher who became famous for his beliefs in the state of nature, natural law, and unalienable rights of man; often called the "father of liberalism". At the time of writing, Locke's ideas were considered revolutionary thoughts in an extremely conservative world; where absolute power commonly held sway over the masses and where inequality simply went unchallenged. John Locke's theories were instrumental in both the Glorious Revolution and the American Revolution, and there are numerous reasons why this is so. Locke's views on the state of nature inspired people to believe that every man, woman, and child is born with selected natural characteristics. rights that should not be suppressed or abused by any form of government. After all, governments were placed in their positions of sovereignty with the consent of the people to protect these natural rights; this is known as the social contract. If a government breaks this contract, the people have the right of revolution, meaning they can actively dissolve the previous form of government and can choose to create a new one that performs its intended functions much more efficiently. In both revolutions, the people argued that their governments were breaking the social contract by abusing their powers and obstructing their rights to life, liberty, and property. Therefore, the reasons behind both revolutions can be found in hatred of absolute power and belief in unconditional human rights - especially the obstruction of property rights. Locke states that the state of nature exists in a non-political society, where men are free individuals. who are not bound by any government or politics...... middle of paper ...... e's philosophies were vital in creating a new era of thought, where personal liberties triumphed over the desires of a king - from here the revolution was born.Works Cited Locke, John 'Two Treatises of Government' (1698), in John Locke; A Critical Edition with an Introduction and Apparatus Criticus edited by Peter Laslett (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967). Freeman, MDA (1994) Lloyd's Introduction to Jurisprudence. 6th edition, London: Sweet & Maxwell LTD. Madison, J. (1788) Federalist No. 7. Federalist Papers: From the New York Packet. Available online at: http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm Commons Journal, (1688/89), as cited in Lucinda Maer and Oonagh, The Bill of Rights 1689 Parliament and Constitution Centre, available at: Gahttp://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-00293.pdf