1. law, govt and politics
2. government

Step by Step
Why Government?
Time: One Class Period
Students will be able to:
 identify natural rights in vocabulary activities addressing natural rights.
 analyze advantages and disadvantages of living under a government through analysis of
Thomas Hobbes’ statement on life in a state of nature.
 trace the development of the theory of government as developed by John Locke
through a drawing and sorting activity.
Anticipate the lesson by asking the following question: “As a human being, what are your
rights? What are things that you should be allowed to do?”
Distribute the activity pages to students.
Instruct
students to complete step one: drawing pictures in all nine boxes based on the
descriptions on page one.
Provide
students with ideas as needed. For example, drawing someone living might be
difficult, but they could draw a baby, someone dancing/moving, or someone doing
their favorite activity.
Direct
students to cut out the caption cards in step two, and to match them with the
correct pictures they drew in step one.
Discuss
each caption as you go, unpacking the meanings of each vocabulary word.
Read
through the completed comic strip with the students.
Distribute the worksheet to students.
Instruct
students to create a vocabulary list, assisting as needed. Allow students to
complete the worksheet.
Why Government?
Name:
Activity Prep, pg 1
Step one. On the next page, draw what is described here for each box.
Box 1: Draw a man thinking. He’s thinking about government.
Box 2: Draw a picture of life without rules. How might people behave?
Box 3: Draw a man having three ideas!
Box 4: Draw someone doing something to survive.
Box 5: Draw someone owning things.
Box 6: Draw someone being free to live how they want (or a symbol of freedom).
Box 7: Draw two people making an agreement with each other.
Box 8: Draw someone giving something away
Box 9: Draw a symbol of government.
Jo h n L
ocke
Step Two. Cut out each of the cards below and match it with the picture that illustrates it, then
attach them to the correct picture with glue or tape.
There once was a man—a philosopher—
named John Locke (1632-1704 CE). He
thought a lot about life and particularly
about government.
In a state of nature, Mr. Locke thought
that people would all pursue the same
three rights: life, liberty, and property. He
called these natural rights.
Government is a body formed by a social
contract to protect people and their
natural rights. Governments don’t always
do their job well, but that’s why we have
governments.
By property, Mr. Locke meant that
people want to own things that will
help them survive like land, food and
tools. People want to earn things.
He thought a lot about living in a
state of nature. That means living
without any laws or government.
Life means that people want to and
will fight to survive.
In a contract, everyone gives up something to reach a desired goal. In a social
contract, everyone agrees to give up a
little freedom to protect everyone’s rights!
Liberty means that people want to
be as free as possible to make their
own decisions about how to live.
In order to be sure that all people
could enjoy these three natural
rights, people formed agreements or
social contracts.
Why Government?
Activity, pg 1
1
4
2
5
3
6
Name:
7
Activity, pg 2
8
PASTE or TAPE HERE TO BACK OF ACITIVITY PG 1
9
Why Government?
Name:
Worksheet, pg 1
Vocabulary Building. Use the bold words in your “The Story of John Locke” comic strip to create a vocabulary
list here. You will use these words for the following activities.
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
Word Math. Use the words from the list above to complete the “word problems” below.
__________________
__________________
__________________
Definition: __________
Definition: __________
Definition: __________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Social: living in groups or
communities instead of
alone
Contract: an
agreement between
people
People
make a
A group of people living
together under laws and
government.
AL
R
TU HTS
A
N IG
R
___________ ___________ : ____________
_____________________________________
to
protect
to form
laws and government
Connection. Describe how the words listed
are connected.
1. Life Liberty Property
____________________________________
____________________________________
2. Natural Rights State of Nature
____________________________________
____________________________________
3. Government Social Contract
____________________________________
____________________________________
Venn. Put the number of the word where they go on the diagram.
1. Natural Rights
5. Government
8. Compromise
2. Life
6. No laws
9. Fend for yourself
3. Liberty
7. Laws
10. Protected rights
4. Property
State of Nature
Social Contract
Why Government?
Worksheet, pg 2
Thomas Hobbes was another philosopher who studied
government and people in a state of nature. He said
that in a state of nature everyone would have a right
to everything, which would lead to constant war between all people. He said that lives would be “nasty,
poor, brutish, and short.”
1. “Nasty, poor, brutish, and short” best corresponds to
2. Thomas Hobbes believed that life in a state of nature
A. “Mean, harsh, beautiful, and long”
A. was boring and slow.
B. “Sweet, miserly, violent, and brief”
B. was violent and rough.
C. “Mean, harsh, violent, and brief”
C. was the way to live.
D. “Dirty, brief, sweet, and long”
D. was beautiful and sweet.
Critical Thinking. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
_H_o_w__d_o_y_o__
u _th
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_t_y_, _
s
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ab
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rn
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t
m
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t ___
e
e
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n
s
__________t? Does he th
_s__u
e
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n
b
_
e
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b
h
o
_
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in
_
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w
H
_
k
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.
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it
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t
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r
is
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h
g
r
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__________od thing
a bad thing?
_W_h_y__did
, an d s
te of
_______
Why?
(rough)
in a sta
h
e
k
is
li
t
u
e
r
b
b
,
r
ld
o
u
o
o
p
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life w
__________
g what
in
ib
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r
c
s
e
d
_______
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?
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natur
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Why Government?
Box 1: Draw a man
thinking. He’s thinking
about government.
Box 2: Draw a picture of life
without rules. How might
people behave.
Box 3: Draw a man having
three ideas!
Box 4: Draw someone doing
something to survive.
Box 5: Draw someone
owning things.
Box 6: Draw someone being
free to live how they want
(or a symbol of freedom).
Box 7: Draw two people
making an agreement with
each other.
TEACHER’S GUIDE
There once was a man—a philosopher—named
John Locke (1632-1704 CE). He thought a lot
about life and particularly about government.
He thought a lot about living in a
state of nature. That means living
without any laws or government.
In a state of nature, Mr. Locke thought that
people would all pursue the same three rights:
life, liberty, and property. He called these
natural rights.
Life means that people want to and
will fight to survive.
By property, Mr. Locke meant that people want
to own things that will help them survive like
land, food and tools. People want to earn
things.
Liberty means that people want to
be as free as possible to make their
own decisions about how to live.
In order to be sure that all people
could enjoy these three natural
rights, people formed agreements or
social contracts.
Box 8: Draw someone
giving something away
In a contract, everyone gives up something to
reach a desired goal. In a social contract,
everyone agrees to give up a little freedom to
protect everyone’s rights!
Box 9: Draw a symbol of
government.
Government is a body formed by a social
contract to protect people and their natural
rights. Governments don’t always do their job
well, but that’s why we have governments.
Why Government?
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Vocabulary Building. Use the bold words in your “The Story of John Locke” comic strip to create a vocabulary
list here. You will use these words for the following activities.
Government
Liberty
State of Nature
Social Contracts
Natural Rights
Government
Life
Word Math. Use the words from the list above to complete the “word problems” below.
LIFE
__________________
LIBERTY
__________________
PROPERTY
__________________
Definition: __________
People want
Definition: __________
People want
Definition: __________
People want to and will
___________________
to be free to make their
___________________
to own things that will
___________________
fight to survive.
___________________
own decisions about how
___________________
help them survive. They
___________________
to live.
Social: living in groups or
communities instead of
alone
People
make a
want to earn things.
Contract: an
agreement between
people
SOCIAL CONTRACT
AL
R
TU HTS
A
N IG
R
to form
A group of people living
together under laws and
government.
___________
___________
: ____________
SOCIAL
CONTRACT
An agreement in which both parties give up a little
_____________________________________
freedom to protect everyone’s rights!
to
protect
GOVERNMENT
STATE OF NATURE
laws and government
Connection. Describe how the words listed
are connected.
NATURAL RIGHTS
Venn. Put the number of the word where they go on the diagram.
1. Natural Rights
5. Government
8. Compromise
2. Life
6. No laws
9. Fend for yourself
Life, liberty, and property are all natural
3. Liberty
7. Laws
10. Protected rights
rights that people pursue.
4. Property
1. Life Liberty Property
2. Natural Rights
State of Nature
State of Nature
Social Contract
Natural rights are the things that people
pursue in a state of nature.
3. Government
Social Contract
Government is formed through a social
contract.
6
9
1
2
5
3
4
7
10
8
Why Government?
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Thomas Hobbes was another philosopher who studied
government and people in a state of nature. He said
that in a state of nature everyone would have a right
to everything, which would lead to constant war between all people. He said that lives would be “nasty,
poor, brutish, and short.”
1. “Nasty, poor, brutish, and short” best corresponds to
2. Thomas Hobbes believed that life in a state of nature
A. “Mean, harsh, beautiful, and long”
A. was boring and slow.
B. “Sweet, miserly, violent, and brief”
B. was violent and rough.
C. “Mean, harsh, violent, and brief”
C. was the way to live.
D. “Dirty, brief, sweet, and long”
D. was beautiful and sweet.
Critical Thinking. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
_H_o_w__d_o_y_o__
u _th
_in
__k_M
_t_y_, _
s
_
__r.__H_o_b_b_e__
a
_
n
_
“
_
_
s
_
d
s fe
__e_ls__
or
__
_w
g
_
o
e
_o
v
ab
_
e
_u
h
rn
__
_
t
m
_
t ___
e
e
_
n
s
__________t? Does he th
_s__u
e
_
n
b
_
e
_
b
h
o
_
_
in
_
_
w
H
_
k
_
_
.
”
it
_
_
t
r
_
is
r
_
_
M
_
o
a
_
o
_
h
g
r
_
_
o
__________od thing
a bad thing?
_W_h_y__did
, and s
te of
_______
Why?
(rough)
in a sta
h
e
k
is
li
t
u
e
r
b
b
,
r
ld
o
u
o
o
p
__________
life w
__________
g what
in
ib
__________
r
c
s
e
d
_______
_
___
__________
_
_
_
_
?
_
e
_
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natur
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e to live in a
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state of natu
h y?
____
re?
______
rvive? W
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