John Locke Research Paper

Lindsey Mehringer

English 9 Honors

Mrs. Keusch

1 December 2014

The One and Only Unfortunately, it is said that all great things must come to an end; however, the memory of those great things will last forever. The life of John Locke could be classified as of one these ‘great things’. Locke was a memorable individual whose life story will never be forgotten. Locke was a prominent philosopher known throughout the world. Locke also had a way with words. He had a strong belief in “Life, Liberty, and Property.” He contributed his above and beyond knowledge into the writing of America’s freedom, The Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson paraphrased Locke’s quote “Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but

Locke was born on August 29, 1632 to Agnes Keene and John Locke in a village called Wrington in Somerset, England. Both Keene and Locke were raised as Puritans, so Locke was a raised a Puritan as well (“JL”). Not long after the birth of Locke, Keene passed away. The father of Locke then raised him and his brother, Thomas. His father worked as an attorney, and he also served in the army during the years 1642 to 1651. This period of time was known as the English Civil War. While their father was involved in the English Civil War, Locke and his brother were being tutored in their home. Since only one parent was bringing in money, the Locke family did not have much to spare. They were considered to belong to the middle class (Durant 183). Because Locke’s father survived as an attorney in the country and was involved with the government, Locke was given an excellent education (“JLB”). The father of Locke raised him well, and he taught him great habits. This led him to have a successful

During his childhood, he began studying at a school called Westminster in London. During his years there, he was very successful. He graduated, and transferred to a college in 1652 called Christ Church, Oxford. Until 1667, Locke was to remain in the school of Oxford. There, Locke was successful as well. He completed his undergraduate degree. After this outstanding completion, he began to teach and tutor other students at the school. During the remainder of his time at Oxford, Locke focused on studying the philosophy of science (“JL”). Locke studied with many notable scientists, including Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton (Davis). Besides becoming acquainted with these famous scientists, Locke also took part in many important lab experiments, and he read deeply into the medical and technological fields. After studying for many years, Locke graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medicine. After this graduation, he continued to tutor at Christ Church (Connolly). Locke was very intellectually gifted. Because of this, he was able to write many famous