John Locke, the renowned English philosopher and writer, is often associated with his influential ideas on natural law, social contract, and the right to revolution.
However, his upbringing in a loyalist and Evangelical family has led some to question whether he was a supporter of the British Crown during the American Revolution.
In this article, we will explore Locke’s background and writings to determine whether he was indeed a loyalist or a revolutionary.
Join us as we delve into the life and ideas of one of the most important Enlightenment thinkers of all time.
Was John Locke A Loyalist
John Locke’s upbringing in a loyalist family and his connections to the higher ups in Oxford may suggest that he was a supporter of the British Crown. However, his writings tell a different story.
Locke’s ideas on rebellion and the overthrow of tyrannical governments were presented during the English civil war, in favor of the revolts against the King’s rule in England at the time. He believed that rebellions against tyrannical governments should be viewed with respect from the rest of the world.
In his “Treatises of Government,” Locke differentiated between the rule of a civil government and an uncivil government. He was a firm believer in limited government and natural rights, which were essential to both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution that followed.
Locke’s ideas were influential to many of the founding fathers, who used them while writing the Declaration of Independence. The phrase “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” was an idea first considered by Locke in his Two Treatises.
Therefore, it can be concluded that John Locke was not a loyalist, but rather a revolutionary who believed in limited government and natural rights. His ideas were essential to the American Revolution and continue to influence political philosophy today.
Locke’s Early Life And Education
John Locke was born into a wealthy family in Pensford, near Bristol, England. His family was sympathetic to Puritanism but remained within the Church of England, which influenced his later life and thinking. At the age of 10, Locke experienced the start of the English Civil Wars between Charles I and parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell’s eventual leadership. Locke’s father, a lawyer, served as a captain in the cavalry of the parliamentarians and saw some limited action.
Locke rejected any claim by the king to have a divine right to rule from an early age. After the first Civil War ended in 1646, Locke’s father was able to obtain for his son a place at Westminster School in London. Although the school had been taken over by the new republican government, its headmaster, Richard Busby, was a royalist. For four years, Locke remained under Busby’s instruction and control. The curriculum of Westminster centred on Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, mathematics, and geography.
In 1650, Locke was elected a King’s Scholar, an academic honour and financial benefit that enabled him to buy several books, primarily classic texts in Greek and Latin. Although Locke was evidently a good student, he did not enjoy his schooling. In later life, he attacked boarding schools for their overemphasis on corporal punishment and for the uncivil behaviour of pupils. In his enormously influential work “Some Thoughts Concerning Education,” he would argue for the superiority of private tutoring for the education of young gentlemen.
After completing his studies at Westminster School, Locke went on to study at Christ Church College in Oxford University. He graduated with a degree in medicine, but it was his philosophical and political ideas that would make him famous. His early life experiences and education influenced his beliefs about limited government and natural rights that would shape his writings and influence political philosophy for centuries to come.
Locke’s Influence On American Revolutionaries
American revolutionaries were greatly influenced by John Locke’s ideas on limited government and natural rights. They often cited him during the Stamp Act protests and the Pamphlet War, and Thomas Jefferson even mentioned him in the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Locke’s concerns about the protection of “life, liberty, and estate” were shared by the delegates in Philadelphia during the framing of the Constitution. Prominent Anti-Federalists also appealed to Locke’s philosophy, as they believed certain unalienable and fundamental rights should be explicitly fixed in the social contract.
Locke’s influence on American revolutionaries can be seen in their rejection of monarchy in civil government. His ideas were essential to the American Revolution, as they provided a philosophical basis for the rejection of British rule and the establishment of a new government based on natural rights and limited government.
The Loyalist Perspective On Locke’s Ideas
Despite Locke’s ideas being influential to the American Revolution, many loyalists did not agree with his philosophy. Loyalists believed that rebellion against the British Crown was a violation of the social contract and that the colonists should have remained loyal to their mother country.
Additionally, loyalists believed in a strong central government and the preservation of the existing social hierarchy. They saw Locke’s ideas of natural rights and limited government as a threat to their way of life and feared that it would lead to chaos and anarchy.
Furthermore, loyalists believed that the British government had the right to tax the colonists and regulate trade for the benefit of the entire empire. They saw this as a fair exchange for protection and support from the British military and government.
Locke’s Writings On Government And Revolution
John Locke’s philosophy on politics argued that man in the state of nature lived according to certain natural laws. Each person had natural rights that included life, liberty, health, and property. Locke believed that the social contract was created to protect and ensure these natural rights. When governments failed to uphold John Locke’s natural rights, he believed citizens were justified in replacing them, by rebellion if necessary.
In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke begins with mankind’s “original” condition, which he describes as a prepolitical “state of nature.” In this state, individuals are free to order their actions and dispose of their persons and possessions as they think fit within the bounds of the law of nature. This state is one of perfect freedom and equality where each human being is born with equal rights to “life, liberty, and estate,” all of which qualify as “property,” the most essential natural right.
However, the state of nature is an undesirable condition because individuals tend to be biased in their own favor and lack both a neutral “umpire” to decide disputes and an impartial enforcer to carry out natural law. When the state of nature descends into a “state of war,” these free and equal individuals rationally choose to form a social contract grounded in mutual “consent” and guided by the “determination of the majority.”
Individuals give up their natural rights to judge disputes and enforce the law of nature, and in thus giving up their individual rights they create the original powers of government: the legislative and executive. This distinction justifies a fundamental separation of powers. If either branch exceeds its proper authority, the people retain a right to revolt after a “long train of abuses.”
Locke’s philosophy formed the basis of democratic government and helped to inspire revolutions. His ideas were essential to both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution that followed. Without his influence, there may never have been a United States of America.
Examining Locke’s Allegiance: Evidence For And Against Loyalism
Despite his writings and philosophical beliefs, some evidence suggests that John Locke may have had loyalist tendencies. Locke was born into a loyalist family and trained in medicine at Oxford, where he had connections to the higher ups who were loyal to the British Crown. Additionally, Locke worked as a family physician and adviser for Anthony Ashley Cooper, who later became the Earl of Shaftesbury and a prominent leader of the Whig opposition.
However, Locke’s writings on natural rights and limited government contradict the principles of loyalism. His belief that human beings are capable of exercising reason and managing their own affairs without government intervention goes against the idea of a strong centralized government. Furthermore, Locke’s support for rebellions against tyrannical governments suggests that he did not believe in absolute loyalty to the British Crown.
It is also important to note that Locke wrote his most famous works of philosophy and political theory during political exile in Holland, where he refined his ideas on natural rights and limited government. This suggests that his time away from England may have influenced his revolutionary beliefs.
Conclusion: Was John Locke A Loyalist Or A Revolutionary?
Based on his writings and beliefs, it is clear that John Locke was a revolutionary. Despite his upbringing in a loyalist family and connections to the higher ups in Oxford, Locke’s ideas on rebellion and limited government were influential to the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution. His differentiation between civil and uncivil government, as well as his belief in natural rights, were essential to the founding of the United States. Therefore, it can be concluded that John Locke was not a loyalist but rather a revolutionary who played a significant role in shaping modern political philosophy.
