World History:
Connections to Today
The Enlightenment and the American
Revolution (1715–1800)
Copyright 2001 © Prentice Hall, Inc.
The Enlightenment and the
American Revolution
The
Enlightenment
Natural Laws
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Social Contract
Natural rights
Philosophe
Montesquieu
Rousseau
Lassiez-faire
The Enlightenment and the
American Revolution
Adam Smith
Free market
Censorship
Salon
Enlightened
despot
Baroque
Thomas Jefferson
Constitutional
government
Popular
sovereignty
Federal Republic
The Enlightenment and the American
Revolution (1715–1800)
SECTION 1 Philosophy in the Age of Reason
SECTION 2 Enlightenment Ideas Spread
SECTION 3 Birth of the American Republic
Chapter 1
The Enlightenment and the
American Revolution
By the 1700s, some thinkers were beginning to
fight against superstition, ignorance, intolerance,
and tyranny
This movement became known as the
Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment and the
American Revolution
The goal of the
Enlightenment was to
shed the “light” of
reason on traditional
ideas about government
and society
Reason
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
The Enlightenment grew
out of the Scientific
Revolution of the 1500s
and 1600s
Scientific discoveries in
the fields of medicine,
chemistry, and astronomy
gave people confidence in
the power of reason
Air Pump
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Enlightenment thinkers
called philosophes believed
that they could use reason to
find natural laws to govern
human nature.
Natural laws are rules
discoverable by reason
These laws could be used to
solve social, political, and
economic problems.
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Thomas Hobbes wrote the
Leviathan
He believed that people were
naturally cruel, greedy, and
selfish
He thought that life was “Nasty,
Brutish, and Short” in the state
of nature
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Hobbes argued that
people entered into a
Social Contract in which
they gave up the state of
nature for an organized
society
Hobbes’ views supported
the role of Kings
Hobbes supported an
absolute monarchy
The Leviathan
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
John Locke agreed with
Hobbes that people give
up absolute freedom in
exchange for the
benefits of living in a
governed society
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
However, he
argued that the
government has
an obligation to
those it governs
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Locke argued that all
humans had natural rights,
or rights that belong to all
humans from birth
These rights included the
right to life, liberty, and
property
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Locke wrote a book titled Two Treatises of
Government
In his book, Locke argued that people
formed govt. to protect their natural rights
The best govt., he said, had limited power
and was accepted by all citizens
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
According to Locke; if the government fails
to protect or violates the natural rights of
citizens…
Then the people have a right to overthrow that
government
Locke’s ideas supported the idea that, in a
reasonable society, power lies with the people
and not the government
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
French thinker, Baron de
Montesquieu, studied the
governments of Europe.
He admired how the British
protected themselves against
tyranny by dividing the
government into three branches
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Legislative, executive, and judiciary
•Thus creating checks and balances
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed
that people were basically good
He thought that people were
corrupted by society and the
unequal distribution of wealth
He thought people should give
up their self-interest to a
government that supported the
common good
Philosophy in the
Age of Reason
In 1762, Rousseau
wrote The Social
Contract
Rousseau felt that
controls were
necessary but should
be kept minimal
Supported the good of
the community as a
whole
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
The Enlightenment slogan “free and equal”
did not apply to women
Philosophes believed women had natural
rights, but their rights were limited to the
home and family
By mid 1700’s, a small group of women
protested this view
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Mary Wollstonecraft
was a well-known
British social critic
In 1792, she published
A Vindication of the
Rights of Woman
She argued for equal
education and
participation in govt.
for women
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
The enlightenment thinkers were called Philisophes,
or “lovers of wisdom”
Their ideas would later be used to justify revolutions
and inspire people who rejected government
regulation in favor of laissez-faire economics
Laissez-faire economics says that businesses should
operate with little or no government involvement
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
British economist Adam
Smith wrote The Wealth of
Nations.
SECTION 1
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
He argued that
the Free Market,
natural forces of
supply and
demand, should
be used to
regulate business
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
As Enlightenment ideas spread, Europeans began to
challenge the following long-held traditions
divine-right rule
a strict class system
The belief in heavenly reward for earthly
suffering
Chapter 1, Section 2
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
The government and church
authorities felt they had a
sacred duty to defend the old
order
They turned to censorship, or
the controlling/limiting of
information
Many books were banned or
burned and writers were
imprisoned
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Despite persecution,
people throughout
Europe continued to
discuss the new
literature, art, science,
and philosophy at salons
Salons were informal
social gatherings at
which writers, artists,
philosophers, and others
exchanged ideas
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Some absolute monarchs accepted Enlightenment
ideas and used their power to bring about social
and political change.
An absolute rulers who used their power to bring
about political and social change is an Enlightened
despot
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Frederick the Great
(King of Prussia)
saw himself as the
“first servant of
the state”
Allowed people to
choose their own
religion
Enlightenment Ideas
Spread
Catherine the Great of Russia
experimented with enlightenment ideas
but had no intention of giving up any
of her power
Joseph II (Austrian Hapsburg Emperor)
Traveled in disguise to learn of
people’s problems
Tolerated Jews and Protestants
Ended censorship
Chose talented middle-class people to
run departments
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas
Spread
Art was very grand in the
age of Enlightenment
The Grand and complex
style of Baroque became
the popular form of art,
architecture, and music
The Death of Socrates –
Jacques Louis David, 1787
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Bach, Handel, and Mozart created
structured music that fit the age of reason
Bach
Handel
Mozart
Enlightenment Ideas
Spread
The rise of the middle
class led to more
widespread novels such
as Robinson Crusoe
Enlightenment Ideas
Spread
A growing number joined
the new middle class
However, most Europeans
remained peasants who
lived in small rural villages
Most were untouched by
Enlightenment ideas.
Isaac Blessing Jacob –1642
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout
Peasants Dancing – 1651
Johannes Lingelbach
SECTION 2
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Peasants in the West were more prosperous
than those in the East
In Russia and Eastern Europe, peasants were
Serfs and considered property
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Britain’s rose to world
power, in part, due
to its:
island location
colonial possessions
favorable business
climate
powerful navy
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Britain merged with
Scotland reducing internal
tension
British took over and
oppressed the Irish
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Britain developed three new political
institutions:
political parties
the cabinet
the office of prime minister.
Britain had developed a constitutional
government, or a government whose power
is defined and limited by law
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The British constitution is made up of all
acts of law over the centuries
The cabinet was formed when George I of
Germany became King of England
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Despite the growing influence of Parliament
and the cabinet..
most political and economic power in Britain
was held by a ruling class of landowning
aristocrats.
SECTION 3
Birth of the American
Republic
King George III wanted to reestablish
the power of the monarchy
He dissolved the cabinet and in
1775
He made colonist in North America
pay for their own defense
His failure to handle the American
situation would eventually give
most authority back to the
Parliament
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The British controlled 13
colonies along the Atlantic
coast of North America
Colonists had control over
much of their own affairs
Many began to believe that
the U.S. should break away
from Britain
Chapter 1, Section 4
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Seven Years War and the French and
Indian War (British vs. French) drained the
British treasury (no $$$)
The king believe that colonist should help
pay for the debt
Parliament passed the Sugar Act and the
Stamp Act in 1765
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Settlers in the 13 English colonies protested
British taxes and trade restrictions as an
attack on their rights as British citizens
The saying “no taxation without
representation” became the popular saying
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Americans were
especially upset since they
had no representation in
Parliament.
In Common Sense Tom Paine,
an immigrant from England,
argued the themes of the
Enlightenment
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
In 1770, British soldiers opened
fire on protesters who had been
pelting them with snowballs
(Boston Massacre)
In 1773, colonist destroyed tea
to protest British taxes (Boston
Tea Party)
In April 1775 the conflict
exploded into WAR!
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of
Independence
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal,…
…that they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights,…
…that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness…
…That to secure these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed.”
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Declaration included another of
Locke’s ideas:
people had the right “to alter or to abolish”
unjust governments- a right to revolt
Jefferson also included the idea of popular
sovereignty which states that all
government power comes from the people
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
Britain had many advantages
Britain had professional soldiers, more money,
and a superior navy
One third of the colonists were loyal to the King
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Colonists had some things on their side
They were fighting at home
In 1777 the French joined on the side of the
Americans
the Netherlands and Spain also joined the
Americans
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
In 1781, General
Washington forced the
surrender of the British at
Yorktown
Two years later, the Treaty
of Paris ended the war which
recognized U.S.
independence
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Mississippi River became the new
nation’s western frontier
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
America was governed by The Articles of
Confederation for several years, but they
were too weak to govern
The authors of the Constitution were inspired
by Enlightenment ideas such as:
separation of powers
checks and balances
natural rights
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
During the summer of 1787, a new
constitution was created and the new
document established a government run by
the people, for the people
Although there were numerous
representatives working on the constitution,
James Madison is credited with being the
“Father of the Constitution”
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Constitution absorbed many ideas of
Locke, Motesquieu, and Rousseau
The Constitution created a federal republic,
with power divided between the federal, or
national, government and the states
Created three branches of government
legislative, executive, and judicial (from
Montesquieu)
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Bill of Rights (the first amendments to the
Constitution) recognized the ideas that people
had basic rights that the govt. must protect, such
as
freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The Constitution became the supreme law
of the land and has remained for over 200
years
It has served as an example for many other
countries around the world
SECTION 3
Birth of the American Republic
The United States
Constitution would
serve as a model for
other democratic
nations
A Bill of Rights
included certain
basic rights the
government must
protect
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