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The Founding Fathers adopted some then-novel theories of government, which had actually been around since the Athenian city-state of Ancient Greece. Rather than being a hereditary power handed down among powerful families (divine right of kings), philosophers such as john Locke saw government as a shared agreement among peoples of a nation (social contract). Locke said as much in his Essay concerning Human Understanding (circa 1690).

The phrase "consent of the governed" in the Declaration of Independence is used to support the contention that a government can fail to be responsive to those it governs, often because it equates governing with absolute rule.

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7y ago
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12y ago

It means a government can, and should, only do what its people say it can do, like our democracy today.

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6y ago

It is a democracy. The government is voted into power at a General Election by the people for a term in office.

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14y ago

The Consent Of The Governed

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Q: What does it mean for a government to exist by the consent of the governed?
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What does consent of governed mean?

People are the source of all government power.


What does consent of the governed mean as written in the declaration of independence?

"Consent of the governed" is a political theory stating that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is, or ought to be, derived from the people or society over which that power is exercised. This theory of "consent" is historically contrasted to the divine right of kings and has often been invoked against the legitimacy of colonialism. Following John Locke's notion of a nation of "free and equal" citizens, the Founders of the United States believed that consent of the governed was the only legitimate basis upon which one "free and equal" citizen could exercise legal authority over another -- otherwise neither equal could overcome the other.


The Declaration of Independence states that governmental powers come from the consent of the govern What does this mean in the U.S. system of government?

The government receives its authority to act from the people.


What does filters of consent mean?

Filters of Consent has to do with the electoral college. Filters of consent just means that someone or something has to go through many steps and different groups to be passed, or approved.


What main parts make a monarchy government?

Having a constitution does not always mean that a nation has a constitutional government. A nation has a constitutional government when the powers of the person or group running the government are limited. For example, our Constitution limits the powers of the courts. It says they cannot force a person to be a witness against himself or herself. These limits on the government's power are part of the constitution.

Related questions

What does consent of governed mean?

People are the source of all government power.


What does the term consent of the governed mean?

The consent of the governed and the social contract are both philosophies by John Locke. They state that a government's citizens agree to give up some of their personal freedoms for their protection by the government.


What does consent of the governed mean as written in the declaration of independence?

"Consent of the governed" is a political theory stating that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is, or ought to be, derived from the people or society over which that power is exercised. This theory of "consent" is historically contrasted to the divine right of kings and has often been invoked against the legitimacy of colonialism. Following John Locke's notion of a nation of "free and equal" citizens, the Founders of the United States believed that consent of the governed was the only legitimate basis upon which one "free and equal" citizen could exercise legal authority over another -- otherwise neither equal could overcome the other.


What does Independent republic mean?

An independent republic is a form of government where the country is governed by elected officials and the ultimate authority lies with the people. It is independent in that it is not governed by a foreign power or monarch.


The Declaration of Independence states that governmental powers come from the consent of the govern What does this mean in the U.S. system of government?

The government receives its authority to act from the people.


In which country would you find poles?

If you mean the magnetic poles, then none. The northern and southern poles of the Earth do not exist within the boundaries of any governed nations.


What does over governed mean?

nothing


How many Armenian concentration camps are believed to exist?

If you mean camps run by the Armenian government the answer is none.


what does the word consensus mean?

Consent is a noun (the consent) and a verb (to consent).


What is demacracy?

If democracy is what you mean, it is a form of government. The United States, for example, is a democracy. A democracy is the belief that the the government is run by "the people". In order for a nation to be considered a democracy, it must have a voting system.


What does massive revolution mean?

Revolution means to completely and forcibly overturn and replace an established government or political system by the people governed. A massive revolutionary would be on a global scale.


What is then rulemofmlaw?

I think you mean rule of law. The rule of law is the legal principle that law should govern a nation, as opposed to being governed by random decisions of individual government officials.