The Age of Revolutions

1. The Age of Revolutions By: Sage Bartlett, Matt Miller, and Sage Bartlett

2. The Scientific Revolution • The Scientific Revolution changed the way people thought about the natural world around them, leading scientists to question authority and popular beliefs. • The scientific method was the support for the Scientific Revolution.

3. People of the Scientific Revolution • Nicolaus Copernicus studied planetary movements for years, stating the stars and planets revolved around the sun, known as the heliocentric model. • Galileo Galilei continued Copernicus’s work with astronomy but was placed under house arrest by the church because his ideas did not agree with their teachings. • Isaac Newton was a great mathematician and physicist who brought together the theories of Copernicus and Galileo into a single theory of motion known as the law of universal gravitation.

4. Enlightenment • The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that focused on the individual rather than tradition. It used the Scientific Method to further advance knowledge and reform society based on religion.

5. People of the Enlightenment • Voltaire was a philosopher who used satire to fight for tolerance, reason, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. His famous work of literature was Candid. • John Locke was a supporter of self government and thought that the purpose of government is to protect the natural rights of citizens, and if it fails the people have the right to overthrow it. • Montesquieu believed in political liberty and thought that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of government. • Thomas Hobbes believed all humans are naturally selfish and wicked, and that to control human behavior, strong governments are necessary. • Jean Jacues Rousseau strongly disagreed with other philosophers saying civilization corrupts people’s natural goodness.

6. French Revolution • The political system that was in place for France in the 1770’s was the Old Regime. A financial crisis brought on by Marie Antoinette forced Louis XVI to call an Estates General for the first time in 175 years. The Third Estate who represented most of the population of France felt they should have as much say as the first two estates combined. Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes suggested the group named themselves the National Assembly, and pass laws and make reforms in the name of the French people. The Third Estate delegates were forced to find a new place to meet, so they occupied a tennis court until a new constitution was drawn, creating the Tennis Court Oath. Louis XVI agreed upon the National Assembly but then surrounded Versailles with troops. In response people of the Third Estate stormed the Bastille starting the French Revolution.

7. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror • The National Assembly issued the document the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, based on the Declaration of Independence, saying that “men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” Reforms of the National Assembly focused mainly on the church. The assembly decided to elect Church officials and priests and pay them as state officials. Louis XVI worried about the new system of the church and state, and thought his power was at stake. He and his family fled the country, but were caught and returned to Paris and Louis awaited his fate. The National Assembly agreed on a new constitution which Louis approved. This constitution took most of the king’s power but he was still allowed some executive authority. The assembly was unable to agree on problems so it split into three branches, radicals, moderates, and liberals. In 1793 the Jacobins took control of the government, causing the Reign of Terror, lead by Robespierre. The death of Robespierre in 1784 marked the end of the Reign of Terror.

8. American Revolution • By the mid 1700’s American colonist had been living in America for almost 150 years. Each of the 13 colonies had it’s own government and saw themselves as no longer British. Britain thought different and continued to tax the colonists as British subjects. With the debt of the French and Indian War, Britain expected the colonists to help with the costs of the war. American colonists were angry at the growing taxes saying the taxes “violated colonists natural rights” and accused Britain of “taxation without representation.” This growing discontent lead to the meeting of each colonies representatives in the First Continental Congress. The king paid little attention to the colonist’s complaints leading to the Second Continental Congress. On April 19, 1775 the first battle erupted and the American Revolution had begun. In 1776, the Declaration of independence was issued based on the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers.