A philosopher argued kings rule only because the governed allow it

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government claimed people are born with natural rights to life, liberty and property, and form governments only by consent to protect them. When a government violates that trust, Locke argued, the people retain the right to overthrow it -- an idea that fed directly into the American Declaration of Independence.

— John Locke, Two Treatises of Government — Second Treatise, 1689
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