Transcript Enlightenment and American Rev. Power Point

CHAPTER 18 / THE ENLIGHTENMENT &
AMERICAN REVOLUITON
World History
Progress and Reason
 By the early 1700’s, European thinkers felt that nothing was beyond the
reach of the human mind
 The Scientific revolution of the 1500-1600’s had transformed the way
people in Europe looked at the world
 Scientific successes convinced educated Europeans of the power of
reason
 Why not use reason to discover natural laws or laws that govern human
nature
 Using methods of science to study human behavior and problems of
society
 So the Scientific Revolution led to a revolution in thinking called the
Enlightenment
 Through reason people and government could solve every
1. social problem
2. political problem
3. economic problem
Two Views of the Social Contract
In the 1600’s two key Enlightenment
English thinkers who had lived through
the English Civil War came up with two
different ideas about human nature and
the role of the government
1. Hobbs
2. Locke
Hobbs
and
Locke
Thomas Hobbes
 Wrote Leviathan
 Felt man was naturally cruel, greedy and selfish and if they were
not strictly controlled they would fight, rob and oppress one
another.
 Life would be solitary, poor, brutal and short
 To escape this brutish life people entered into a Social Contract or
agreement by which they gave up the state of nature for an
organized society.
 The best for of government was an absolute monarch which
could impose order and compel obedience
John Locke
 He wrote Two Treaties of Government Locke’s view of people was that they were reasonable and moral
and they had certain natural rights or rights that belonged to all
humans from birth such as
1. Life
2. Liberty
3. Property
 People formed a government to Protect their natural rights
 The best government was on that had limited power and was
accepted by all citizens
 He felt government has an obligation to the people it governs and
if it fails its obligation or violates the people’s natural rights
people have the right to overthrow that government
Separation of Powers
 Baron Montesquieu studied the governments of Europe as
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well as ancient and medieval Europe, Chinese and Native American
cultures
He wrote Spirit of Laws
Felt that the separation of powers of the government was the
best protection of liberty
The three separate branches are
1. Legislative Branch (make the laws)
2. Executive Branch (enforces the laws)
3. Judicial Branch (interprets the laws)
Checks and Balances: when each branch would act as a check on
the other two
This was a major influence on the writing of the constitution of
the United States
Checks and Balances
The Philosophes and Society
 In France, Enlightened thinkers applied the
scientific method to better understand and
improve society and lead to reforms of
government, law and society
 These thinkers were called philosophies meaning
lovers of wisdom
Voltaire Defends Freedom of Thought
 Voltaire used wit to expose the abuses of his day targeting corrupt
officials and idol aristocrats as well as inequality injustice,
superstition, slave trade and religious prejudice
 His outspoken remarks landed him in prison and forced into exile
 His books were outlawed and burned but he continued to defend
the principle of Freedom of Speech "I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it
Voltaire
The Encyclopedia
 Denis Diderot edited the Encyclopedia which was 28 volumes long
and took him 25 years to produce
 Though it was widely criticized and even banned in some countries
over 20,000 copies were printed and its ideas help spread
Enlightenment ideas throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to
America
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
 Rousseau believed people were basically good but were
corrupted by the evils of society especially the unequal
distribution of property
 He wrote Social Contract about how society placed too many
limitations on people’s behavior but the minimal controls that
were necessary should be imposed only by government who had
been freely elected
 He put great faith in the general will or best conscience of the
people
 He felt the individual should be subordinate to the community
Rousseau
Women / Economics
The Enlightenment slogan “
Free and Equal” did not apply
to women
Physiocrats focused on
economic reforms looking for
natural laws to define a rational
economic system
Laissez Faire / Adam Smith
 Physiocrats urged a policy of Laissez Faire (hands off the
economy) allowing business to operate with little or no
government interference
 They supported free trade and opposed tariffs or taxes
 Wrote The Wealth of Nations
 Argued a free market and the laws of supply and demand should
be allowed to regulate business activity
 The marketplace was better off without any government
regulations
ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS SPREAD
 From France Enlightenment ideas spread across Europe with
people everywhere examining traditional beliefs and customs in
the light of reason and finding them flawed
 Even monarchs experimented with Enlightenment ideas until
they threatened the established way of doing things
 In the new Age of Reason medieval thought of divine right rule,
strict class system and heavenly rewards for earthly suffering
seemed unscientific and irrational
Censorship
 Governments and church authorities felt it was
their duty to defend the old order and protect
against attacks of the Enlightenment using
censorship or restricting access to ideas and
information by banning books and imprisoned
writers
Salons
 New literature, arts and
philosophy were regularly
discussed at Salons or informal
social gatherings
 They originated in 1600’s when
groups of noble women invited
friends over for poetry
readings
Enlighten Despots
 Some rulers accepted Enlightenment ideas and became known as
Enlighten Despots or absolute rulers who used their power to
bring about political and social changes
Frederic k the Great
 King of Prussia and saw himself as the “first servant of the state”
and wanted to work for the common good
 He directed reforms towards making Prussian government more
efficient and a stronger monarchy for himself
 Reforms included:
 developed the Prussian academy of science
 distributed seed and tools to peasants
 tolerated religions
 reorganized civil services
 simplified laws
Catherine the Great
 Empress of Russia intended not
to give up any power and to
expanded the empire
 Her reforms were:
 granted nobles a charter of
rights
 criticized serfdom
Joseph II
 Emperor of Austria successor of Maria Theresa
 Traveled in disguise among his subjects to learn their problems,
nicknamed the Peasant Emperor
 His reforms were:
 granted toleration to Protestants and Jews
 ended censorship
 tried to bring the Catholic Church under royal control
 sold property of monasteries/convents to build hospitals
 abolished serfdom
 Unfortunately most reforms were canceled after his death
The Arts and Literature /Courtly Art
 Art, music and literature also changed to reflect Enlightenment
ideas and tastes
 Baroque:
 Architecture: in a grand complex style
 Paintings were huge, colorful and full of movement
 By the mid 1700’s the new style of Rococo developed which was
personal, elegant and charming
Caravaggio The Conversion of Saint Paul
Caravaggio / Medusa
Caravaggio Bacchus
Rembrandt The Night Watch
Rembrandt Self Portrait
Rococo Interior
Rococo Interior
Fragonard's The Swing
Watteau The Embarkation for Cythera
Trends in Music
 Major musical figures:
 Johann Sebastian Bach wrote for
the organ and choirs
 George Frederick Handel wrote
many operas
 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote
symphonies
 Top 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5
3bwqBZeKQQ
Lives of the Majority
 Throughout most of Europe peasant life changed little
although it did vary from country to country
 Serfdom did survive in Western Europe
 By 1700’s radical ideas about equality and social justice
did seep into peasant villages and by the 1800’s political
upheaval and economic changes would transform
peasant life in Europe
BRITAIN AT MID CENTURY
 Over the next century Britain will build a colonial and commercial
empire reaching around the world
 It will develop a constitutional monarchy, a political system
between absolute monarchies and democracies
 How did this island nation rise to such prominence in the 1700’s
 It had a great location for trade
 “The Sun Never Sets On The British Empire”
British Empire
Success in War and Business
 Britain was generally on the winning side in wars
 Treaty of Utrecht: England got Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and,
parts of N. America
 Britain monopolized the salve trade in Spanish America
 Treaty of Paris ending the Seven Year War gave Britain all of French
Canada
 British East India Company pushed French out of India
 Britain had no large standing army
 It did develop a powerful navy
 England offered a more favorable climate to business and
commerce than other European nations with few restrictions on
trade
Scotland and Ireland
 England merged with Scotland
in 1707 with the Act of Union
joining the in the United
Kingdom of Great Britain which
included Wales
 Many Scots resented the union
 England controlled Ireland
since the 1100’s
 In the 1600’s English rulers
tried to subdue the Catholics
by sending Protestant to
settle there
 Irish fiercely resisted with
many uprisings to this day
Growth of Constitutional Government
 New political institutions developed after the Glorious Revolution
such as
1. political parties
2. the cabinet
3. prime minister
 Britain’s government evolved in into a constitutional government
where a government whose power is defined and limited by law
 British government is not a single document but many such as
Magna Carta and Bill of Rights
Political Parties in England
 TORIES with mostly
aristocrats who sought to
preserve older traditions
and supported royal
powers and a dominant
Anglican Church
 WHIGS were generally
urban business who
supported religious
toleration and favored
Parliament over the crown
The Cabinet System
 Emerged in the 1700’s when the throne was
inherited by a German prince George I who spoke
no English and relied on leaders in Parliament to
help him rule
 These advisors also helped George II set policy and
were called the Cabinet because they met in a
small room or cabinet
 In time they gained official status and were made
up of leaders of the majority party in the House of
Commons
Prime minister / Politics
The Prime Minister
 The head of the Cabinet was called
the Prime minister
 He was the leader of the Majority
party
 The first official prime minister was
Walpole
Politics and Society
 During this time Britain was an
oligarchy or government in which the
ruling power belongs to a few people
 This was the landholding aristocrats
 The right to vote was limited to male
property owners
George III Reasserts Royal Power
 In 1760, George III began a 60 year
reign and was eager to recover the
powers of the crown he wanted to
1. End Whig dominations
2. Choose his own ministers
3. Dissolve the cabinet system
4. Make Parliament follow his will
Personal Rule / Cabinet Rule
 After the Seven Years War
(French and Indian war)
Parliament passed harsh
measures to force Americans
to pay their cost of the war
 In 1775 these conflicts would
trigger the American
Revolution
 Britain’s loss of America
discredited the king
 He also suffered from bouts of
mental illness
 Cabinet rule was restored in
1788
 After Napoleons long wars
British came to see the Prime
Minister as the real political
leader
BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
 Early 1776 English colonist read “Common
Sense” by Thomas Payne which called on
them to declare their independence
 “Tis repugnant to reason, to the universal
order of things, to all examples from former
ages, to suppose that this Continent can
long remain subject to any external power”
What does this mean?
The 13 English Colonies
 Britain applied mercantilist policies to the colonies and passed the
Navigation Acts to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing but
weren’t enforced and smuggling was common and not considered a
crime by the colonist
 By 1700’s colonies were home to diverse religious and ethnic groups and
social distinctions were more blurred than in Europe although
government and society and were dominated by wealthy landowners
and merchants.
 In politics there was much free discussion and Colonists felt entitled to
the rights of English citizens and their colonial assemblies exercised much
control of local affairs.
 Many were felt an increasing sense of their own destiny separate from
Britain
 Keith Hughes American Revolution 25 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOjKiLDV3vI
 Crash Course American rev 12:40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EiSymRrKI4
Growing Discontent
 Since the British wars drained the treasury, King George III felt the
colonist should help pay for the war so Britain began enforcing log
neglected laws regulating colonial trade
 Colonist saw this as an attack on their rights and protested “ No
taxation without representation” because they had no
representative in Parliament so Parliament had no right to tax
them
 Sugar Tax on Molasses
 Stamp Act on all printed matters – documents and newspapers
(boycott of British goods)
 Tea Act on tea (Boston Tea Party)
 Intolerable Acts which closed the Boston harbor until colonist pay
for destroyed tea in the Boston Tea Party
 Parliament repealed some but kept and maintained its right to
impose taxes on the colonist.
Early Clashes
 After a series of clashes in Dec.
1773 the “Boston Massacre”
occurred when colonist, while
protesting the tea tax 5
colonist were killed by British
troops
 Finally representatives from
the colonies met in
Philadelphia and became the
Continental Congress to
decide what action to take
Declaring Independence
 The Continental Congress was set up with George Washington
commanding it
 The Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from
Britain
 Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence
 It claimed people had the right to alter or abolish unjust government and
to revolt
 It emphasized popular sovereignty which states that all government
power comes from the people
 It also detailed the colonists’ grievances against Britain.
 Since the king had trampled on the colonists’ natural rights the colonist
had the right to rebel and set up a new government
 Too Late to apologize:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_56cZGRMx4
 Keith Hughes 3:29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8BTq61bmuY
The Causes
American Revolution
 About a third of the colonist were Loyalist who supported Britain
 Many refused to fight for either side
 Colonist had little money and resources but were fighting for
independence and were fighting on their own soil for their farms
and towns
 Crash Course: Tea, Taxes, and The American Revolution:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlUiSBXQHCw&index=28&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C
9
How do the Compare?
French Alliance
 The turning point in the war came in 1777 when the colonist
defeated the British at the Battle of Saratoga
 France had joined the Americans and added much needed
supplies, trained soldiers and warships
 Then the Netherlands and Spain added their support
 Crash Course American Revolution 11:26
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlUiSBXQHCw
Treaty of Paris / New Constitution
 Finally in 1781, added by the
French fleet, Washington
forced the surrender of the
British army at Yorktown
 American, British and French
diplomats end the war with
the signing of the Treaty of
Paris
 The first national government
was set up with the Articles of
Confederation but it proved to
be ineffective
 Delegates met again in 1787
and secretly hammered out the
Constitution of the United
States
 Keith Hughes:
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=-TJg7PYM14E
The Impact of Enlightenment Ideas
 Framers of the Constitution absorbed the ideas of Locke,
Montesquieu and Rousseau, plus STUDIED HISTORY
 They saw government as a Social Contract (We the People) and
provided for an elected legislature and an elected president rather
than a monarch.
 The fist president was George Washington
 It created a Federal Republic where power is divided between the
federal or national government and the states
 The central feature was the separation of powers among the
legislative, executive and judicial branches and within each branch
was a system of Checks and Balances
 First 10 amendments were the Bill of Rights that recognized the
idea that people had basic rights that government must provide for
INFLUENCE OF THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION
OUTCOME IN ENGLAND
ENGLISH BILL OF
RIGHTS
 People elect

representatives
to Parliament,
which is supreme
over monarch
 All citizens have 
natural rights
WRITINGS OF
JOHN LOCKE
People have

natural rights

such as life,
liberty. And
property
There is a social
contract between
people and
government
CONSTITUTIONAL
GOVERNMENT
Government is limited and defined by law
Political parties, the cabinet, and the office
of prime minister
IMPACT ON THE UNTIED STATES
IMPACT ON THE UNTIED STATES
Colonists
believed that
they too had
rights, including
the right to elect
people to
represent them
Locke’s ideas
shaped the
American
Revolution and
the writing of the
Declaration of
Independence
and the
Constitution
The new American nation formed a
constitution al government with two
parties and a cabinet; the American
system included even more provisions
for the separation of powers
Limited Freedom
 The Constitution (1788) became the supreme law of the
land and set up a representative government with an
elected legislature Yet most Americans had the time or
right to vote since only white men who met certain
property requirements could vote
 Crash Course the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation and Federalism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8
George Washington
 While others felt the president
should have a grand name Washing
chose to be called President
 While some wanted him to be
president for life Washington only
served for two terms
 No president would run for a third
term until 1940 and later a law was
passed limiting a presents term to
two terms only
Looking Ahead
 The Constitution crated the most progressive government of its
day and shone as a symbol of Freedom to European and Latin
American countries
 The Enlightenment ideas that inspired American colonist brought
changes to Europe too. In 1789 the French monarchy is toppled in
the name of liberty and quality
The Preamble to the Constitution
Bill of Rights
 Amendment I
 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
 Amendment II
 A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people
to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
 Amendment III
 No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner,
nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
 Amendment IV
 The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but
upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to
be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
 Amendment V
 No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a
presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces,
or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be
subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled
in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
compensation
Bill of Rights
 Amendment VI
 In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
 Amendment VII
 In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be
otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules
of the common law.
 Amendment VIII
 Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted.
 Amendment IX
 The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to
deny or disparage others retained by the people.
 Amendment X
 The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.