During the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime, the form of political organization in Europe was the hereditary monarchy, sustained by the feudal mode of production. Inside these monarchies, political power were scattered through several political centers, with their own laws and relative administrative autonomy. Society was hierarchically organized, with almost none social mobility. This kind of political organization was radically changed by the Enlightenment idea of “social contract”, which stated that political power were transferred from the people to the monarch, who, since then, ruled definitively as the unique source of rights and obligations, therefore, centralizing the political and legislative power in the king himself. Although, the king should guarantee a certain level of individual freedom, being the social contract limited by this goal.
This is just my opinion;
I feel like the president should have told Congress. He should have discussed the options with them before deploying troops. Also, the House Armed Services Committee should have discussed things in a better way rather than demanding things from the president. Congress seems to be in the right since the War Powers Act requires the president to let Congress know within two days of sending US troops overseas. The president didn’t talk with them, and then he didn’t let them know very soon after.
Locke's contribution to American political thought was the way he formulated liberal thought. In Locke's thought, men have intrinsic moral worth. They are capable of being their own moral agents, thus capable of self rule. They are equal, and they are free from claims of divine right to rule. This is liberalization, meaning that traditional ruling systems of personal power, justified by divine right, are rejected. The political power is opened up to the people, and "opening" is what liberalism means. When the people have the sovereign power, power becomes a public matter. In Latin, that is "Res Publica." Self rule is a republic. The power of the people is delegated to representatives to speak on their behalf so people have a stable environment in which to pursue economic activity.
Since men are free and equal, then, they have natural rights. These are life, liberty, health, and pursuit of property. Property is the source of political power, hence freedom, and this comes with the obligation to defend it so you don't lose that liberty. You cannot alienate your natural rights. You must set up a system to limit encroachments and preserve your rights. So you must have the ability to protect your freedom, which is the right to pursue property. Jefferson cribbed this line but he changed "property" to "happiness."
