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3. A Theory for Some

The first person credited with developing a comprehensive theory of human rights was British philosopher John Locke (1632-1704).

Locke wrote that people form societies, and societies establish governments, in order to assure the enjoyment of “natural” rights. Locke defined government as a “social contract” between rulers and ruled. Citizens, he believed, are obliged to give allegiance only to a government that protects their human rights. Those rights may even have precedence over the claims and interests of the government.

Government can only be legitimate when it systematically honors and protects the human rights of its citizens. However, there were limitations to Locke’s theory. He did not consider the claims of all people, even though the language of his writing speaks in universal terms.

His actual focus was the protection of the rights of European men who owned property. Women, along with indigenous peoples, servants, and wage laborers, were not recognized as full rights-holders. Nevertheless, the thinking of Locke and others of his time was an important breakthrough.