John Locke (1632-1704) was an English philosopher responsible for laying the foundation of the European Enlightenment. Locke believed that each branch of government should have separate powers, that liberty must be protected from state interference, and that the state must protect the private property of its citizens. These ideas greatly influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States. Locke also proposed a new theory of knowledge acquisition based entirely on experience and reflection.
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Definition
Timeline
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1632 - 1704Life of the English philosopher John Locke.
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29 Aug 1632John Locke is born in Wrington, in the county of Somerset, England.
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1663John Locke writes the constitution for the British colony of Carolina.
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1667John Locke becomes the personal physician and secretary to Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury.
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1668John Locke becames a member of London's Royal Society.
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1675 - 1679John Locke spends time in France.
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1683 - 1689John Locke self-exiles in the Netherlands.
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1689John Locke publishes his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Two Treatises on Government, and Letters on Toleration.
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1693John Locke publishes his Thoughts Concerning Education.
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1695John Locke publishes his The Reasonableness of Christianity.
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28 Oct 1704John Locke dies at Oates, Essex, England.
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1706John Locke's Of the Conduct of the Understanding is published.