Age of Enlightenment

1. Age of Enlightenment Standard 7-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of limited government and unlimited government as they functioned in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

2. Limited and Unlimited Government • Limited government-a government that has restraints placed upon the power and authority of government • In a limited government, citizens can participate in government decisions. • Unlimited government-a government that has no limits placed upon the power and authority of government.

3. Unlimited Government • In an unlimited government: • There is no limit to prevent the government from becoming a tyranny. • The citizens have no rights and freedoms. • Citizens are expected to totally obey the government and ruler.

4. In Europe in the 1600s and 1700s, the absolute monarchies (ruled by kings or queens) were UNLIMITED governments. • There was no way to stop the governments from mistreating the citizens. • The absolute monarchies (monarchies in which the king/queen had all of the power) were based on the idea of divine right, or the idea that their power came directly from God. • Because of this, no one ever questioned their rule.

5. French and Russian Absolute Monarchies Louis XIV of France Peter I of Russia

6. France and Russia had an unlimited government that put all of the power in the hands of the monarch. • These nations displayed their unlimited authority by: • Raising taxes • Dissolving, or getting rid of the legislative (law-making) body • Using the military to enforce policies

7. King John signs the Magna Carta

8. Changes in Europe • There were changes that began to take place in Europe that restrained the power of government. • In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta, or Great Charter, to show that the king was no longer above the law. • This led to the creation of constitutional monarchies, or monarchies that had to obey a constitution.

9. The Scientific Revolution • The Scientific Revolution began because of advancements made in areas of science and math in the late 1500s and early 1600s. • After the Age of Exploration, new truths and research challenged previous ideas. • Scientists began questioning teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

10. Ptolemy’s Theory

11. Copernicus’ Theory

12. The scientists used reason, or the process of thinking things through carefully, rather than placing their beliefs in faith. • People first began questioning Ptolemy’s geocentric theory (the idea that the earth is the center of the universe and everything revolves around it). • Nicolas Copernicus believed in a heliocentric theory, or the idea that the sun was the center of the universe.

13. Galileo and Newton Galileo Newton

14. Bacon and Descartes Bacon Descartes

15. Galileo also believed in a heliocentric theory and confirmed it using a telescope. • Isaac Newton came up with the laws of gravity which also challenged old theories. • The Scientific Method also established a series of steps to find proof. It was developed by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes. • This procedure included: begin with a question, form a hypothesis, test it, and analyze the data.

16. Conflicts Between Science and Religion • There was a major conflict between religious thought and scientific thought during this time. • Theories and books that were published caused this conflict. • The Bible, as the Roman Catholic Church interpreted it, served as the authority for society before science.

17. Because new books were published on these theories, the Catholic Church felt threatened by this because their authority was on the line. • Galileo, a Catholic, was forced to stop his teachings and admit he was wrong about the heliocentric theory, or he would be excommunicated. • He was put on house arrest for heresy, or going against church teachings.

18. The Enlightenment • The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries (1600s and 1700s). • It was a time when people used reason to better understand and improve society. • Politics was the main area where reason was applied.

19. Absolutism, or the idea that absolute or total power was in the hands of the rulers, was how most governments operated at this time. • The Enlightenment challenged this belief. • The idea of a state of nature, or the thought of life without government was used by Enlightenment philosophers. • The idea of a social contract, or an agreement between rulers and the people, was also an important idea of this time.

20. John Locke • John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher from England who was influenced by a time known as the Glorious Revolution. • Locke saw the state of nature as good and a social contract as a voluntary agreement to make life better. • He believed all humans were born with natural rights (life, liberty, right to own property).

21. Locke said that the social contract was an agreement between citizens and the government and it was the government’s responsibility to protect those rights. • He said if the government did not protect these rights, then the people could break the contract by getting rid of the current government and setting up a new one.

22. This led to the idea of the consent of the governed, or the belief that a government gets it’s approval, or consent from the people. • He influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence

23. Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Jean-Jacques Rousseau of France shared Locke’s beliefs about state of nature, but he said society corrupts people and the government protect the general will of the people. • This means the government should do what the majority of the people want. • This would go along with the idea of a limited government.

24. Rousseau and Locke’s ideas led to the idea of popular sovereignty, or the idea that governments get their power from what the citizens want. • Strangely, Rousseau’s ideas influenced totalitarian governments.

25. Baron de Montesquieu • Baron de Montesquieu of France focused on government organization by promoting the ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances. • Separation of powers means that each branch of government would have separate but equal amounts of power. • Checks and balances means that each branch has powers that “check” each other.

26. Legislative branch-law making body; Parliament or Congress • Executive branch-enforces laws and signs bills; President or King • Judicial branch-makes sure laws are constitutional; Supreme Court • All of these ideas are in the US Constitution.

27. Voltaire • Voltaire of France focused on civil liberties like freedom of speech and freedom of religion. • He disliked people not having the freedom to choose their own religion and he supported a separation of church and state.

28. English Civil War • The English Civil War was a struggle between the people represented by Parliament and the monarch. • Parliament wanted King Charles I to allow Parliament to make decisions on laws, which would limit the powers of the king. This challenged divine right.

29. All of this “drama” had been going on since Charles I’s father James I had ruled. • Parliament wanted more input in the government because this went along with the Magna Carta. • Charles, just like his father James, refused to let Parliament meet. • He locked them out of Parliament (Eleven Years Tyranny).

30. Parliament and Charles also argued over issues related to raising money by collecting taxes and allowing people to buy titles. • Example: John Hampden, a member of Parliament, refused to pay a tax called the “Ship Tax” because Parliament hadn’t agreed on it. He was put on trial and found guilty.

31. Oliver Cromwell

32. In 1642, Charles sent soldiers to arrest five members of Parliament that didn’t like him. • Civil War broke out between supporters of Charles I, called Royalists, and the supporters of Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell and his “New Model Army.” • Charles I surrendered in 1646, but escaped in 1647. • Civil War resumed and the Royalists were defeated again.

33. Execution of Charles I

34. Charles II

35. Charles I was tried for charges of abuses of power against Parliament and the people. • He was found guilty and beheaded. • Charles II, Charles I’s son, began trying to get power in Scotland while Oliver Cromwell ruled over England. • Charles II tried to takeover England and failed. • Cromwell died and his son took over as “lord protector”. He was a weak leader and resigned.

36. James II/William and Mary William and Mary James II

37. Charles II was invited to come to the throne and when he died, his brother James II took over. • James II was Catholic, and Protestant leaders were afraid of this. • William of Orange, king of Scotland, was a Protestant and married to James II’s daughter, Mary. • William came to England with an army and James fled. • William and Mary became the king and queen.

38. The Glorious Revolution • The Glorious Revolution was when William and Mary came to the throne. • Parliament arranged for William and Mary to sign the English Bill of Rights, which promoted a limited government in England and the monarch had to share power with Parliament.

39. Inspiration from the Enlightenment • The American Revolution was inspired by the Enlightenment. • The French Revolution (next unit) was inspired by the Enlightenment and the success of the American Revolution. • Both led to the formation of limited governments and served as models for the world.

40. Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, used a lot of Locke’s ideas. • He argued that the colonists were rebelling because their rights had been violated. • After gaining independence, the US Constitution also used Enlightenment ideas to set up a new limited government.

41. The US Constitution

42. Constitutions • A constitution is the law which establishes the structure and operation of government and details the relationship of the people to their government. • The role of a constitution is to place limits on the government's power by outlining what powers the government does or does not have, or what the government can or cannot do.

43. Constitutions: • Provide the framework for the operation of the 3 branches • Establishes the relationship between the national and local/state governments • Defines the relationship of government to citizens and rights of citizens • Each of these qualities come from different philosopher’s ideas. • The constitution requires citizen responsibility in electing representatives and becoming representatives.

44. The Bill of Rights in our Constitution protects individual rights (Locke and Voltaire). • The US Constitution includes 3 branches of government (Montesquieu). • Our nation does what is best for the majority of the people (Rousseau).

45. Types of Constitutions • Written Constitution: • Single, written document • US had the first one • Unwritten Constitution • A collection of documents over time • Great Britain has this (We took a lot of ideas from it.) • Positive Constitution • Gives a government power • Centers on roles and responsibilities of government • Negative Constitution • Focuses on limitations, or takes away a government’s power • US has this type