The end of government

In this post and this post, I've referred to the purpose of government, but my views on that need to be expounded upon for those posts to make sense.

The end of government is the preservation of our rights. By "end," I mean "that which could not be accomplished, or not so well accomplished, by any other thing." (see Plato's Republic, page 32.) This only makes sense; the protection of our rights is the whole reason we have government, and we cannot be guaranteed of our rights unless we have government.

The Founding Fathers recognized this end in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." [emphasis added]

The Founding Fathers borrowed this view directly from John Locke, a key political theorist who was a profound influence on the Founders (Jefferson himself, the author of the Declaration of Independence, cited Locke as one of the men on whose writings "all [the Declaration's] authority rests." - Jefferson, Thomas. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Washington, D. C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1903, 118.) Locke wrote in his Second Treatise of Government (pages 203-204) that

"If man in the state of nature be so free, as has been said; if he be absolute lord of his own person and possessions, equal to the greatest, and subject to nobody, why will he part with his freedom? why will he give up his empire, and subject himself to the dominion and control of any other power? To which it is obvious to answer, that though in the state of nature he hath such a right, yet the enjoyment of it is very uncertain, and constantly exposed to the invasion of others; for all being kings as much as he, every man his equal, and the greater part no strict observers of equity and justice, the enjoyment of the property he has in this state is very unsafe, very unsecure. This makes him willing to quit a condition, which, however free, is full of fears and continual dangers: and it is not without reason, that he seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others, who are already united, or have a mind to unite, for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties, and estates, which I call by the general name, property.

The great and chief end, therefore, of men's uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of their property. " [emphasis added]

In other words, men unite themselves under a government for the purpose of securing their rights. The preservation and protection of our rights is the entire purpose of government.

Whenever the government does not uphold this purpose, it acts without authority.