Consent in the government
The idea of consent is said to be one of the foundational beliefs of both constitutionalism and democracy. Consent is an agreement or acquiescence. According to John Locke, a legitimate government cannot exist until the people have given their consent to be ruled by it (Smith 4). Without the consent of the governed, there would be no government. We should bear in mind that there was consent used in most doctrines made in history; such as The Magna Carta, The Mayflower Compact, The Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution and The Virginia Declaration of Rights. ... In the Declaration of Independence it is written, “…Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the Consent of the governed…” (Smith 223).