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James Burgh (1714–1775) was a British Whig politician whose book ''Political Disquisitions'' set out an early case for free speech and universal suffrage: In it, he writes, "All lawful authority, legislative, and executive, originates from the people." He has been judged "one of England's foremost propagandists for radical reform". Burgh also ran a dissenting academy and wrote on subjects such as educational reform. One of his first books was ''Thoughts on Education'' (1747). His widow acted as fairy godmother to early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, then a young and unpublished schoolmistress, who titled her first book ''Thoughts on the Education of Daughters'' (1787). The title alludes to Burgh's ''Thoughts on Education'' which in turn alludes to John Locke's 1693 work, ''Some Thoughts Concerning Education''. ==Life and works== Burgh was born and raised in Madderty, Scotland. His father was a minister of the parish Church of Scotland. Burgh was raised a Presbyterian, which strongly contributed to his fight for moral issues. He attended St. Andrews University with the intention of studying for the ministry. An illness prevented him from completing his degree and he entered the linen trade. Failure at that sent him to England in the early 1740s. For a short time he was a printer's helper and then in 1746 he became an assistant master (teacher) in an academy just north of London. The next year, he became master (principal) of his own academy in Stoke Newington. In 1750, he moved his school to nearby Newington Green, and ran it there for 19 years.〔William Robinson. ''The history and antiquities of the parish of Stoke Newington in the county of Middlesex''. J.B. Nichols and Son, 1842 – 296 pages.〕 In 1754, Burgh's ''The Dignity of Human Nature'' was published. This is Burgh's first major publication, and one that bears a striking resemblance to Benjamin Franklin's ''Poor Richard's Almanac''. In 1761, Burgh wrote ''The Art of Speaking'', an educational book focusing on oratory. In 1766, he wrote the first volume of ''Crito'', a collection of essays on religious toleration, contemporary politics, and educational theories. The second volume followed a year later. This is his first work that included a strong emphasis on politics. Burgh became involved in the early 1760s with a group called the Honest Whigs, a club that met on alternate Thursday evenings in a coffeehouse, then an important social and political meeting place. Other members of the group included Richard Price, Joseph Priestley, Benjamin Franklin, James Boswell and others. In 1774, Burgh wrote his most popular work, ''Political Disquisitions''. The three-volume work was intended by Burgh to be longer, but his deteriorating health caused him to stop after the third volume. Burgh died a year later on 26 August 1775. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Burgh」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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