Blackwell Reference Online

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John Locke challenged prevailing perceptions about government, human reasoning, religious toleration, and education. His influence can be seen in the theories of the Enlightenment and in the American Revolution . Locke was born August 29, 1632 in Wrington, a village in Somerset. His father was a Puritan lawyer who served as a captain on the side of parliament when the English Civil War broke out. The patronage of his father's commander allowed Locke to attend school at Westminster in London. In 1652 he went to Christ Church, Oxford. Locke received his bachelor's degree in February 1656 and decided to pursue further studies in medicine. He was inducted into the Royal Society in 1668. During his medical studies, Locke made the acquaintance of Lord Ashley (later Lord Shaftesbury). Locke moved to London to be Ashley's personal physician in 1667, but he also served as his secretary and researcher. While part of Ashley's staff, Locke became Secretary of the Board of Trade and Plantations, and Secretary to the Lord Proprietors of the Carolinas. Shaftesbury left the government in 1674, at which time Locke returned to Oxford to receive his bachelor's degree in medicine. Locke spent some time in France, returning to England when Shaftesbury had a brief return to government. When Shaftesbury was implicated in a plot for armed insurrection, Locke also came under suspicion. He fled England ... log in or subscribe to read full text