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The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment. Answer questions in complete sentences. Background Recall. #1: When did the Renaissance occur? And what was the key idea of the Renaissance? #2: When did the Scientific Revolution occur?

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The Enlightenment

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  1. The Enlightenment Answer questions in complete sentences.

  2. 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)?

  3. Intro to the Enlightenment • 1600s and 1700s. • Inspired by the ideas of the Renaissance and Sci. Rev. • 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. • Many ideas came from France where philosophesgathered in salons—informal meetings/parties where ideas were exchanged. #3: When was the Enlightenment? How was it related to the ideas of the Scientific Revolution and Renaissance?

  4. 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?

  5. 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.

  6. 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?

  7. 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?

  8. CesareBeccaria • Italian lawyer – opposed to torture and other cruel punishments. • Believed punishments should be just severe enough to outweigh the benefits of crime (since criminals are rational people). • Advocated for fair trials and equality of punishments . • Opposed the death penalty. #9: What ideas did CesareBeccaria support?

  9. 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?

  10. 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. #11: What were two ways that the Enlightenment altered society in the 1700s?

  11. U.S. Government and Laws • Our system of laws is a direct result of the ideas of the Enlightenment: • 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.

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