Answer:
The term "social contract" refers to the idea that the state exists only to serve the will of the people, who are the source of all political power enjoyed by the state. People can choose to give or withhold this power. The idea of the social contract is one of the foundations of the American political system. There are many different versions of the notion of a social contract. John Locke's version of social contract theory is striking in saying that the only right people give up in order to enter into civil society and its benefits are the right to punish other people for violating rights.
