18th in a series John Locke (1632–1704) was not an American, nor did he ever set foot on the American continent — although for a short time he owned property here and perhaps slaves. Yet there is wide agreement among historians that he was America’s philosopher, at least in the minds of the founders of this nation and framers of its Constitution. Therefore, he deserves a place in a series devoted to the life of the mind in America. The meaning of the ideas of liberty, equality, power, civil society, the rul … (read more)
