Which statement best captures Locke's natural rights as a basis for limited government?

• A. Freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.
• B. The right to accumulate wealth and status.
• C. Life, liberty, and property.
• D. Natural rights require monarchy.

Answer: (C)

Locke argues that certain rights are natural and inalienable, and government exists only to protect those rights. The key trio he emphasizes is life, liberty, and property. Life covers personal security and protection from harm; liberty means individuals should be free to act within reasonable bounds that don’t infringe on others’ rights; property locks in the idea that people have a rightful claim to the goods they earn or acquire through their labor and effort. Because the purpose of government is to safeguard these rights, its power must be limited and derived from the consent of the governed. If a government fails to protect life, liberty, or property, or acts against them, people retain the right to resist or alter the government.

That’s why the option listing life, liberty, and property best reflects Locke’s natural rights basis for limited government. The other options describe civil liberties or political arrangements that aren’t the natural-rights trio Locke identified, and the idea that natural rights require a monarchy runs counter to his view that government exists to restrain power and protect individuals’ rights.