The Enlightenment

1. The Enlightenment Improving society through reason and science

2. English Thinkers

3. John Locke He wrote Two Treatises of Government in which he supported the Glorious Revolution, criticized absolutism. He believed humans were born with natural rights of equality and freedom. He felt government was needed to protect peoples natural rights. Life, Liberty and Property

4. What were Locke’s two main natural rights? What was the purpose of government?

5. Contracts The people and government entered into a contract which had mutual obligations. The people would act reasonable towards government (pay tax’s, vote, serve in gov.) and the government would protect those natural rights. If gov. broke contract people had right to rebel and form new gov.

6. Importance of Locke Locke set foundation for the ideas of rule of law and individual rights/freedoms. The Glorious Revolution, American Revolution and French Revolution all would were based on Locke’s natural rights theory.

7. Philosophes Beginning in France the Enlightenment was an intellectual movement lead by philosophes, who were scholars, writers, journalists, economists and social reformers. Two Englishmen, Isaac Newton and John Locke were inspiration to the French philosophes. All philosophes focused on reason, natural rights/laws, hope, and progress.

8. Montesquieu (France) Used scientific method to examine government, considered first political scientist. Used England as model for his theory of separation of powers, in which each branch of gov. placed limitations (checks and balance’s) on each other. The three branch’s in England were the Executive (monarchy), the Legislative (Parliament), and the Judicial (courts of law). His theory was most influential on American and the formation of the U.S. Constitution.

9. What three powers were separated in England according to Montesquieu?

10. Rousseau (France) In his important work The Social Contract he presented a unique new idea about society. Different from Locke’s contract between the people and government. His idea of a social contract, was an agreement that society was governed by the general will. This meant that “In consenting to form a government, individuals choose to give up their self-interest in favor of the common good.”

11. How was Rousseau’s contract different than previous ones?

12. Adam Smith (Great Britain) The founder of modern social-science of economics. Believed that the gov. should not interrupt natural economic forces. His important work The Wealth of Nations stated that the gov. should leave the economy alone. This idea became known by its French name laissez-faire which meant to let people do what they want.

13. The Influence of the Enlightenment Thomas Jefferson (who wrote the Declaration of Independence) and James Madison (another influential “founding father”) were especially strong supporters of John Locke’s ideas. Locke’s idea about the right to rebel would be central to the American Revolution which was a rebellion against England justified by the harm they caused the colonists. The Enlightenment would heavily influence the forming of the U.S. Constitution.