right, at least until the harvest, and thus from year to year. With this continuing possession uninterrupted, it is easily transferred into property (Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, p67)." However, property rights were not in existence. Every man was subject to having what he claimed as his own taken at any moment by someone seeking revenge or any man who could overtake him. It was for this reason that landowners established society with laws to benefit themselves and secure their property.The question arises: What rights does man have as a member of society, and what rights does he forfeit to government in exchange for protection? According to Rousseau, as well as the authors of The Constitution of the United States and the Preface to the Constitution of 1793, society is formed for a certain set of reasons. Society is, for Rousseau, "...a form of association which defends and protects with all common forces the person and goods of each associate, and by means of which each one, while uniting with all, nevertheless obeys only himself and remains as free as before (The Social Contract, p148)." The French and American documents reiterate the sentiments of Rousseau saying that society should ensure such things as justice, tranquillity, property, and defense. Once again, the French and American revolutionary writings begin to differ from the ideas of Rousseau. He holds that upon becoming a part of a society one enters into a social contract. On agreeing to the terms and conditions of the contract, man must give up some things in order to gain others. While the other authors hold that society must secure all of their "natural liberties" , Rousseau believes man must give up some of his liberties, although ideally one would not have to take such action. A man is still allowed to hold his own thoughts and ideas about matters, however, he cannot let his private interests infringe on the interests of society as a whole, or th...
