Why did John Locke believe that government needs the consent of the governed?

John Locke argued that government requires the consent of the governed because he believed that all individuals are naturally free, equal, and independent in a "state of nature," possessing no natural hierarchy or subordination to others.12

In this state, while humans are bound by the law of nature, the lack of a common authority to enforce these laws can lead to injustice and violence. To remedy this, individuals enter into a social contract to establish a civil government. Because political power is only legitimate when it is a "morally sanctioned capacity" used for the public good, government authority must be derived from the people who have willingly agreed to form a community.123

Locke maintained that since every person has a property right in their own person and labor, a government has no right to seize property or exercise power without the owner's consent. If a government violates this trust or fails to protect the fundamental rights of the people, it loses its legitimacy, and the people retain the right to replace it.32