He begins his “Disquisition” by discarding the notion that all men are born free and equal, not because he wants to defend slavery, but because he wants us to begin in the right place. All of us are born as helpless babes who cannot survive a day without society. God has created man a social animal. He needs society to survive, much less to realize his highest potential. Societies are a given, created by history and human nature. But men have selfish as well as social feelings, which demand inevitably a government of some kind to keep the peace and enforce justice. While society is created by God, governments are only creations of men, existing for the protection of society. And since those entrusted with government have selfish feelings like all other men, a good government will have a constitution, not so much a grant of power as a statement of the limits of power.
Can't agree with Calhoun on the origin of government for this reason -- it's not simply because of protection, though that is one of its functions in the fallen world, but for the sake of legislating for the common good.
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