How did thomas hobbes’s interpretation of the social contract differ from john locke’s?

Explanation:

Both English philosophers, Hobbes and Locke, believed there is a "social contract" -- that governments are formed by the will of the people.  But their theories on why people want to live under governments were very different.

Thomas Hobbes published his political theory in Leviathan in 1651, following the chaos and destruction of the English Civil War.  He saw human beings as naturally suspicious of one another, in competition with each other, and harmful toward one another as a result.  Forming a government meant giving up personal liberty, but gaining security against what would otherwise be a situation of every person at war with every other person.

John Locke published his Two Treatises on Civil Government in 1690, following the mostly peaceful transition of government power that was the Glorious Revolution in England.  Locke believed people are born as blank slates--with no preexisting knowledge or moral leanings.  Experience then guides them to the knowledge and the best form of life, and they choose to form governments to make life and society better.

In teaching about Hobbes and Locke, I've often described the difference between them in this way.  If society were playground basketball, Hobbes believed you must have a referee who sets and enforces rules, or else the players will eventually get into heated arguments and bloody fights with one another, because people get nasty in competition that way.   Locke believed you could have an enjoyable game of playground basketball without a referee, but a referee makes the game better because then any disputes that come up between players have a fair way of being resolved.    Of course, Hobbes and Locke never actually wrote about basketball -- a game not invented until 1891 in America by James Naismith.  But it's just an illustration I've used to try to show the difference of ideas between Hobbes and Locke.   :-)

in february 1787, congress decided that a convention should be convened to revise the articles of confederation, the nation’s first constitution. in may, 55 delegates came to philadelphia, and the constitutional convention began. debates erupted over representation in congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch. the debates continued through four hot and muggy months. but eventually the delegates reached compromises, and on september 17, they produced the u.s. constitution, replacing the articles with the governing document that has functioned effectively for more than 200 years.

especially research the treaty of greenville and the treaty of colerain in washington's administration.   also research at least one significant treaty from the administrations of adams, jefferson, and madison. tell the outcome of each treaty and how it did or did not in the further development of the west.

treaty of greenville (1814) the treaty of greenville (1814) was called a treaty of peace and friendship between the united states of america and the tribes of native americans called the wyandots, delawares, shawanoese, senacas and miamies.

the treaty of colerain was signed at st. marys, georgia in camden county, georgia, by benjamin hawkins, george clymer, and andrew pickens for the united states and representatives of the creek nation, for whom indian trader langley bryant served as an interpreter, on june 29, 1796, proclaimed on march 18, 1797, and codified as 7 stat. 56. colerain was a small community and the site of a u.s. indian factory founded by james seagrove.  

this treaty affirmed the binding of the treaty of new york (1790). the treaties of hopewell and the treaty of holston (1791) established boundary lines between the choctaws, chickasaws, cherokee, and the u.s. the treaty of colerain bound the creek nation to acknowledge the boundaries established in those treaties.  

it also established the boundary line between the creek nation and the united states. at the time of this treaty, the boundaries between spanish florida and the u.s. had not yet been established. this treaty formally allowed the creek chiefs to acknowledge the negotiation for delineating the georgia-florida boundary with spain.  

the treaty contained a provision that the president of the u.s. may establish a trading or military outpost.  

the united states demanded that the creeks give up their american prisoners and also return all "citizens, white inhabitants, negroes and property" taken by the creeks.  

the treaty describes when it would take effect. after the treaty had been signed but not yet promulgated, the u.s. senate requested modification of two articles of the treaty. the first modification stipulated that the military or trading posts would be under the control of the united states. the second modification stipulated that if the u.s. no longer required the use of those posts, the locations would revert to the creek people.