Transcript The Enlightenment - MrWall7thGradeSocialStudies

The Enlightenment
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Background Recall
#1: When did the Renaissance occur?
And what was the key idea of the Renaissance?
#2: When did the Scientific Revolution occur?
And what was the key belief of the leaders of
the Scientific Revolution (think about Bacon and
Descartes)?
Intro to the Enlightenment
• 1600s and 1700s.
• Inspired by the ideas of the
Renaissance and Sci. Rev.
– Humanism :
– Celebrating worth of the
individual.
– Reason = key to progress.
• Wanted to apply this idea
to social and political life.
• Believed there were “natural
laws” that governed society.
• Philosophical thought synonymous with action.
#3: When was the Enlightenment? How was it related to
the ideas of the Scientific Revolution and Renaissance?
Thomas Hobbes
• British – tried to establish a
rational basis for absolute rule by
monarchs.
• In Leviathan he said that “In the
state of nature” life is “nasty,
brutish and short.”
– He thought people were basically
selfish and cruel, so they needed
powerful rulers to take control.
• Very different from most
Enlightenment philosophers, but
tried to apply reason to politics.
#4: Why did Hobbes believe that we should
have absolute rule by monarchs?
John Locke
• British—believed in constitutional
monarchy.
• His Two Treatises of Government
argued that the basis of
government was the social contract
and that people have natural rights.
– Natural Rights = People have the right
to life, liberty, and property.
– Social Contract = Government’s authority is based on the
consent of the governed. They give the government this
power to protect their rights.
#5: What is constitutional monarchy?
#6: What were Locke’s two big ideas? Explain each.
Baron de Montesquieu
• A French baron, lawyer, and satirist.
• Concerned that putting too much
power in one person’s hands
would lead to tyranny.
• Proposed separation of powers
(like in England) to prevent this.
– Three Branches of Government:
• Legislative
• Executive
• Judicial
#7: Why did Baron de Montesquieu support the idea
of separation of powers? What does that mean?
Voltaire
• French satirical writer
• Also supported English constitutional
monarchy.
• To be governed by law is “man’s most
cherished right.”
• Most concerned with freedom of
thought and expression.
– Championed religious tolerance and free
speech.
• Jailed twice and exiled for criticizing
intolerance and oppression.
#8: For what ideas is Voltaire known that are
widely held beliefs today?
Cesare Beccaria
• Italian lawyer – opposed to torture and other cruel
punishments.
• Believed punishments should not be cruel or unjust.
• Advocated for fair trials
and equality of
punishments .
• Opposed the death penalty.
#9: What ideas did Cesare Beccaria support?
Women in the Enlightenment
• Olympe de Gouges—French woman. Wrote the Declaration
of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen.
– Said women should be equal to men in all ways: voting, in
government, property ownership, and serving in military.
– French Revolutionaries killed her for expressing her views.
• Mary Wollstonecraft—British writer. Argued that women
should have same rights as men. In order to use these rights
wisely, women needed more educational opportunities.
• Abigail Adams—wife of John Adams (American
Revolutionary). Said women “will not [be] bound by any laws
in which we have no voice.”
#10: Who were three female thinkers of the
Enlightenment? What was their core belief?
Impacts of the Enlightenment
• Enlightened Monarchs – supported Universities,
religious tolerance, end to torture,
etc., but still held absolute power.
– Catherine the Great – Russia
– Fredrick the Great – Prussia
– Joseph II – Austria
• American and French Revolutions
(and others beyond) were directly
inspired by enlightenment ideas.
(Recall: Locke “social contract”; Montesquieu “3 branches of gov’t; and
Cesare “no cruel or unjust punishment” and Voltaire “freedom of religion
and speech”) #11: What were two ways that the Enlightenment altered society in
the 1700s?
U.S. Government and Laws
• Our system of laws is a direct result of the ideas of the
Enlightenment:
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–
–
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Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: Natural Rights
Constitution: Separation of Powers
First Amendment: Free Speech and Freedom of Religion
Fourth to Eighth Amendments: Protections for the accused…
• No unreasonable search and seizure
• Due Process and Trial by Jury
• No Cruel and Unusual Punishments
– Thomas Jefferson: Social Contract
• “A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in
the political world as storms in the physical...It is a medicine
necessary for the sound health of government.”
#12: Give at least two examples to show how a particular
Enlightenment thinker influenced the U.S. Government.
HOBBES
LOCKE
MONTESQUIEU