Ch. 8 The Enlightenment and Revolutions
Name__________
For hundreds of years most European countries were ruled by kings and queens.
The countries' royal rulers, or monarchs, were the sons and daughters of earlier
kings and queens. These rulers claimed their powers to be given by God. The
monarchs, the leaders of the church, and the wealthiest families had always held
all the power and all the advantages.
Background
For hundreds of years most European countries were ruled by kings and queens.
The countries' royal rulers, or monarchs, were the sons and daughters of earlier
kings and queens. These rulers claimed their powers to be given by God. The
monarchs, the leaders of the church, and the wealthiest families had always held
all the power and all the advantages.
But in the 1500s, during a period known as the Renaissance, the number of
educated people in Europe began to grow. Many of these scholars adopted the ideas of the ancient
Greeks and Romans. These ideas focused on the importance of all people and on their ability to reason.
Scholars encouraged the study of science. The Renaissance led to important discoveries in the 1600s.
Galileo proved that Earth moved around the sun. Isaac Newton explained the laws of gravity.
Ideas of the Enlightenment
The ideas that blossomed during the 1500s and 1600s influenced many thinkers during the 1700s—the
time of the Enlightenment. Some of the most famous Enlightenment thinkers were Denis Diderot, John
Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Voltaire.
These thinkers, called philosophers, wrote many books, including a 35-volume encyclopedia. Some wrote
books questioning religion. They objected to the church having power over everyone. The philosophers
criticized the monarchs' laws. They also questioned the idea that God had given the monarchs their
power.
Enlightenment thinkers applied science and reason to society's problems. They believed that all people
were created equal. They also saw education as something that divided people. If education were
available to all, they reasoned, then everyone would have a fair chance in life.
Results
Enlightenment ideas were popular and spread quickly. The Roman Catholic Church and the monarchs tried
to censor, or ban, the books and other works of the philosophers. The rulers were right to be alarmed.
The Enlightenment led many people to think about their government and to think that they should change
the government. They wanted to take power away from the kings and queens and give it to the ordinary
people. This led to the American and French revolutions, when the monarchs lost their power.
Men of the Scientific Revolution
Scientist
Copernicus
Galileo
Kepler
Bacon
Newton
Nationality/Place of
Birth
Name_________________________________
Field/Area of Science
Discoveries/Theories/ Impact on Science/
Laws/ Beliefs?
Society
Name
The Ideas of the Enlightenment
Philosopher
John Locke
Beliefs/Ideas
Voltaire
Montesquieu
Diderot
Adam Smith
Rousseau
Wollstonecraft
Date
Impact
Name
Date
Complete a graphic organizer categorizing the actions and policies of the three major enlightened
absolutists of the period: Catherine the Great, Frederick the Great, and Joseph II.
enlightened absolutism- a system in which rulers tried to govern by Enlightenment principles
while maintaining their full royal powers
Enlightened Rulers
Frederick the Great of
Prussia
1740-1786
Joseph II of Austria
1765-1790
Catherine the Great
Russia
1762-1796
Enlightened actions/policies
Unenlightened actions/policies
“Enlightenment Meets Independence”
Where did our Founders get the idea that they had the right
to cut off all ties from England? Our Founders were very learned
men. They read the ideas of the current political thinkers of their day
known as the Enlightenment Thinkers/Philosophers. Some of the
most influential thinkers: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, JeanJacques Rousseau, and Charles de Montesquieu had the largest
influence on our founders.
The Enlightenment Philosophers applied a
scientific/reasoned approach to government. They questioned where
the authority to govern came from. Is the right to govern a hereditary
right or is it a contract between the rulers and the people? They also
questioned what rights citizens had in a country and what rights the
citizens had if they were unhappy with the government.
In addition to reading the Enlightenment Thinkers many of
our Founders were members of congregational churches.
Congregational churches differed from the Church of
England/Roman Catholic Church in government. In the Church of England/Roman Catholic Church there was
one supreme leader who was ultimately responsible for all decisions either the king or the pope. In
congregational churches the ultimate authority rested in the individual congregations. Each congregation was
accountable to no one but God; therefore, the congregation had a voice in the decisions of their local
church/congregation. The increased voice in religious life led to increased participation in the government.
The problem? King George of England did not agree with the ideas of the Enlightenment Philosophers
or of the congregational churches. He believed he was the ultimate authority and that his decisions, with
Parliaments approval, were the law. The colonists should be grateful for living under the benevolent authority of
England. England had fought a series of wars, which were quite costly. Since the French and Indian Wars were
fought in the colonies it was only reasonable that the colonists should pay for the expense of the war and the
resulting cost of maintaining troops in the colonies. The colonists believed they had a right to vote on all tax
increases and should have a voice in the governing of their particular colonies.
Colonists, believing they had the right to question the king’s decisions, organized resistance against the
king’s taxes. King George responded with increasingly more restricting laws and imposing on property rights
(quartering troops).
The Continental Congress met to decide how they would respond to the king’s increasing restrictions on
their liberty. The debate boiled down to sending a list of grievances to the king or to break ties to Britain and
create a whole new nation. If they were to be successful it would be the first time in history that a colony was
able to cut ties with their sovereign. Many of the delegates believed the social contract between the colonies and
England had been broken therefore they had the right to break the contract.
The final decision was for a committee to compose a declaration to the king to inform him of the
violations to the social contract. Thomas Jefferson composed the Declaration of Independence.
Effects of the Enlightenment on American Government
Name_________________________
Directions: Examine the primary source documents that you have been given. Answer the questions in the chart for each
document.
Enlightenment Philosophers
Thomas Hobbes
Jean Jacques Rousseau
John Locke
Voltaire
Baron de Montesquieu
What is the name of the
document?
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, That whenever
any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the
Right of the
People to alter
or to abolish it,
and to institute
new Government …
In your own words, what is
the purpose of the
document?
Enlightenment Ideas
Natural Rights
Checks and Balances
Social Contract
Separation of Powers
Civil Liberties (Individual Liberties) General Will
Which Enlightenment
philosopher influenced the
document?
What specific ideas of the
Enlightenment philosopher
are contained in the
document? Cite the text of
the document to support
your claim.
What is the name of the
document?
Preamble to the U.S.
Constitution
We the People of the United
States, in Order to form a more
perfect Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the
general Welfare, and secure
the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do
ordain and
establish this
Constitution
for the United
States of
America.
Articles of the U.S.
Constitution
“All legislative
powers…shall be vested in a
Congress…the executive
power…in a President…the
judicial power of the United
States in one Supreme Court
and in such
inferior Courts
as the
Congress…may
establish.”
Bill of Rights
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the
Government
for a redress
of grievances
In your own words, what is
the purpose of the
document?
Which Enlightenment
philosopher influenced the
document?
What specific ideas of the
Enlightenment philosopher
are contained in the
document? Cite the text of
the document to support
your claim.