Midterm Essay

1. Can a legitimate, democratic government make you pay taxes? What is Locke's argument

regarding what a legitimate democratic government cannot do? 

a. A legitimate democratic government can make an individual that is a citizen pay

taxes upon that practice. These taxes are then used to better and grow the

government of which those taxes go to for different organizations such as

educational purposes, police force, national guard, the army, roads, budgets for

better impacting the economy and protecting its citizens from domestic or internal

terrorism. Along with community developmental programs, foreign affairs,

social-economical programs, and foster-care.

b. With Locke’s view on what a democratic government cannot do, he believes that

the government cannot arbitrarily take another individual’s property, including

freedom as well. As this point is being made, Locke relates to this issue with it

coming as a due process attempt to guarantee the citizens of the country are not

punished and are ensured that each individual is charged accordingly and

processed correctly, as this develops and prevents the taking of arbitrary. Due

process assists these individual’s in an immaculate way to ensure that those same

people are treated with fair and reliable due process before their property is taken

by the government themselves.

2. Discuss how Locke's idea relates to Civil Liberties and Due Process. Give a specific

example of a due process right in the Bill of Rights (it must be a due process right)

and explain how that relates to Locke's idea.

a. Locke’s idea relates to Civil Liberties and Due Process due to this reasoning;

when it comes to civil liberties, it is looked at by the government as an

opportunity for its citizens to express and have the right to life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness. With due process, this expresses the rights of its citizens to a

fair and accurately-done trial regardless of the crime that had been committed and

then prevents the government from coming in contact with that individual’s

property and life of well-being,

b. An example of a due process right in the Bill of Rights illustrates the following:

the fifth amendment states to the federal government that “no one shall be deprived of

life, liberty, or property without due process.”, according to Cornell School of Law. This

amendment relates to Locke’s ideology due to even his saying of each individual under a

democratic government should have the right to a fair trial and are charged accordingly,

even read their rights before anything, to give that individual the opportunity to

represented by a lawyer or not, even with self-incrimination.

3. Cite evidence (including data/statistics regarding traffic stops & stop & frisk) from

the lecture/clips/readings to support that minorities are often treated differently by

the government.  Would that violate the natural rights of blacks? How does this

relate to Locke?

a. African Americans would most definitely go against Locke’s ideology of a

democratic government and everyone being created equal and having the same

rights and opportunities just like everyone else. African Americans have always

been treated differently ever since the beginning of American was first colonized.

Black people are always being looked at no matter what that individual goes. It is

so normalized now that it is just a natural reflex for some people to look the

wrong way at African Americans. Police brutality on African Americans has been

a topic that is discussed almost every year and it never gets better than the last. In

the article, it states that nearly two-thirds of black adults (65%) say they have

been in situations where people acted as if they were suspicious of them because

of their race or ethnicity, while only a quarter of white adults say that’s happened

to them”.
 Cited Sources

DeSilver, Drew, et al. “10 Things We Know about Race and Policing in the U.S.” Pew Research
Center, Pew Research Center, 3 June 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2020/06/03/10-things-we-know-about-race-and-policing-in-the-u-s/.

Sandel, Michael. “Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 04: ‘THIS LAND IS MY
LAND.’” Youtube, Harvard University, 8 Sept. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MGyygiXMzRk&feature=youtu.be&t=1674.

“Due Process.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute,

www.law.cornell.edu/wex/due_process#:~:text=The%20Fifth%20Amendment%20says
%20to,legal%20obligation%20of%20all%20states.