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Explore the belief of Enlightenment philosophers on the necessity of enlightened rulers to establish and protect natural rights, including equality before the law, freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, property rights, and pursuit of happiness. Examines the impact of Prussian kings, Joseph II of Austria, Catherine II of Russia, and the Seven Years' War on the Enlightenment ideals. Traces the American Revolution and the influence of Enlightenment principles on the formation of the United States.
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To establish and preserve natural rights, most philosophes believed that people needed to be governed by enlightened rulers The Enlightenment: equality before the law; freedom of religious worship; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; and the rights to assemble, hold property, and pursue happiness.
Two able Prussian kings, Frederick William I and Frederick II, made Prussia a major European power in the eighteenth century. They were well versed in Enlightenment ideas, but committed to kept Prussia's serfdom and rigid social structure intact
Joseph II (Austria) abolished serfdom and eliminated the death penalty. He established the principle of equality of all before the law and enacted religious reforms, including religious toleration.
But Catherine did not make reforms, because she knew that her success depended on the support of the Russian nobility. Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, and seemed to favor Enlightenment reforms.
The rivalry of Britain and France over colonial empires and the rivalry of Austria and Prussia over Silesia led to the Seven-Years’ War.
The British seized Montreal, the Great Lakes area, and the Ohio River valley. The French were forced to make peace. In the American colonies, the French were involved in setting up a fur-trading empire, and the British were engaged it settling North America and establishing a colony with a large population.
The disagreement over taxes led to the American Revolution. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the American colonies. After the Seven Years' War, British leaders wanted to use taxes to get new colonial revenues from the colonies to cover war costs.
The Bill of Rights was derived from the Enlightenment philosophers. The American Revolution was seen as the confirmation of the premises of the Enlightenment. The proposed Constitution created a federal system in which the national government and the state governments shared power.
