jan 1, 1690 - John Locke

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John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during and was an important figure of the Enlightenment era. He was also trained in medicine, which made him an advocate of the ideas during the Scientific Revolution. Locke believed in and invented the theory of tabula rasa, meaning "blank slate". This suggested that humans gained knowledge and identity from experience, not from birth.

In addition to tabula rasa, John Locke also believed the government should protect the people's rights to life, liberty, and property. This ended up heavily influencing the important documents of the U.S. One of these documents is the Declaration of Independence. Within it states, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Another document affected by Locke is the Constitution involving equal powers of the government.

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