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Why did Locke believe governments exist to protect life, liberty, and property?

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The Code of Hammurabi diorite stela, with carved figures at the top showing Hammurabi seated with cuneiform inscriptions below. — Political philosophy Diorite stela inscribed with the Code of Hammurabi, 18th century bce.

John Locke argued that governments exist to protect life, liberty, and property because these are natural rights that individuals possess inherently, even before the formation of civil society.1

In his state of nature, Locke posited that humans are free and equal under the law of nature. However, because individuals are responsible for enforcing this law themselves, the lack of an impartial authority often leads to injustice and violence. To remedy this, people enter into a social contract to establish a government.21

Under this contract, individuals surrender only the right to enforce the law of nature, while the government is granted the "morally sanctioned capacity" to protect the public good. Consequently, the state’s legitimacy is strictly limited to preserving these rights through "declared and reasoned laws". If a government fails to secure these fundamental interests, it violates the contract, thereby justifying the people's right to revolution.213