Locke's Two Treatises was a seminal work, not only because it helped destroy the concept of "the divine right of kings" in England, but also because it set out the framework for a "social compact" which was heavily relied on in America. Locke's writings also argued for a natural right of property based on necessity, a theme picked up by Blackstone in his Commentaries, serving as an initial basis for the laws of property in Anglo-American jurisprudence.

This edition carefully preserves all original wording, yet modernizes some spelling, capitalization and syntax, particularly in the First Treatise. Meticulously proofread and corrected from the 1698 edition.