Assume the following documents could be used as evidence in a DBQ that asks the following
question:
Discuss and analyze the various views on the system of Absolutism as a form of government in
the 17th Century.
Source: Excerpt from Thomas Hobbes: The Leviathan, published 1651
“During the time men live without a common
power to keep them all in awe, they are in the
conditions called war; and such a war, as of every
man, against every man.”
Write a POV statement: Why might Hobbes say
this given what he believes and what he has
experienced?
Think about…..
1. How might the author’s fundamental beliefs
about human nature impact his POV on the
system of Absolutism?
2. How might the author’s personal observation
of historical events impact his POV on the
system of Absolutism?
3. How might the author’s place or role in the
Enlightenment impact his POV on the system of
Absolutism?
What about this one?
“People in this state do not have to ask
permission to act or depend on the will of
others to arrange matters on their behalf. The
natural state is also one of equality in which all
power and jurisdiction is reciprocal and no one
has more than another.”
Discuss what an authorial POV statement might
look like for this document by John Locke.