Massachusetts Constitution, Articles 3. Right to institute government
Massachusetts Constitution – Article III of the Declaration of Rights: Right to Institute Government
This provision is part of the Declaration of Rights in the Massachusetts Constitution, originally adopted in 1780 and largely authored by John Adams.
📜 Full Text of Article III (as originally written):
"When men enter into a state of society, they surrender up some of their natural rights to that society, in order to ensure the protection of others; and, without such an equivalent, the surrender is void.
The people, therefore, have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity and happiness require it."
🔍 Key Ideas & Summary:
Social Contract Theory:
Individuals surrender some natural rights to form a civil society, expecting protection and benefit in return.
Popular Sovereignty:
Ultimate power rests with the people.
The government exists to serve the people's safety, prosperity, and happiness.
Right to Alter or Abolish Government:
The people hold a permanent and absolute right to create, reform, or abolish their government if it fails its purpose.
This reflects the core Revolutionary principle that governments derive their legitimacy only from the consent of the governed.
⚖️ Importance:
Article III has deeply influenced American political thought.
It enshrines the right to revolution, a key justification for the American colonies' break with Britain.
It affirms that government is a tool of the people, not a power over them.
RELATED Blog
0 comments