The Misunderstanding of Lockean Political Philosophy in the American Founding Era

Abstract

It has become a historical inertia that the public and academia deem Lock as the foundation of American politics. However, Locke never explicitly supports the separation of power. Unlike Modern Liberalism, there is no clear-cut definition identifying the boundary between the legislative and executive power. It is a common mistake to interpret the Declaration of Independence as originating from Lockean Liberalism. In reality, Lockean political philosophy and DOI bifurcate at several points within the Second Treatise: executive power and legislative power can be owned by the same person; the exercise of executive power can exceed the limits of the legislatures. Besides, the question of the origin of the executive power remains unsolved. This essay will point out these mysteries and academic misunderstandings by explaining that the Law of Nature is the foundational thought of The Second Treatise. This essay will also delineate conflicts in The Second Treatise but argue that the divine intention is the resolution to all the self-contradictions. This divine intention is set up by both normative and historical threads.