The
In Review - Chapter 1 and 2
Pangaea – the emergence and evolution of two
ecologically different continents
Human Migration – the movement of people
throughout the world
Civilization – complex societies developed throughout
the world, some areas faster than others.
Age of Enlightenment – as populations grew so did the
ability to critically think
Age of Exploration – Europeans started to venture out
in search of new discoveries
Columbian Exchange – the movement of plants,
animals and diseases between Europe and America
Globalization – one world, integrated economies, the
reemergence of Pangaea
Clash of the Cultures – Europe, Africa and America
Chapter Three
The Establishment of the English 13 Colonies
These are the four main points:
Colonization – How did it happen, why
were certain colonies successful?
II. Government – What rules needed to be
established in order to survive?
III. Religion – Why did people leave
Europe, what role does religion play
and what impact does it still have on us?
IV. The Land – How was land understood
and how did the location of land impact
the development of the colonies?
I.
Chapter Four - The Colonies Develop
There are four main points to Chapter Four:
I.
Financial Implications– How did money
impact the development of the colonies?
II. Development of Slave Industry– Why did the
slave industry develop differently in the
colonies?
III. Growth of Cities– What was the impact of
urban growth in the colonies?
IV. Immigration– How did the migration of the
various European people in the colonies
impact the culture?
Chapter Five - The beginnings of an American Identity
There are four main points to Chapter Five:
The Enlightenment – The impact that John
Locke and an enlightened thinking had on the
colonial leaders.
II. The Great Awakening – A shift in the way the
colonial people understood the role of the
church?
III. An American Identity – Colonist now
understood themselves as Americans?
IV. French and Indian War – The war that began
the road to the Revolution?
I.
THE AMERICAN TRANSITION
 As we move forward with our study of
American History, it is important to recognize
a significant shift.
 To this point we saw how people migrated to
each continent and established communities.  Therefore, we must shift our
thinking to understand that a new
 We also saw how the European people
American identity was emerging.
asserted their dominance by overtaking the
 A new culture of mixed peoples who
Native American people.
have set out to live their dreams of
 The Europeans, whether we recognize this
freedom.
action as right or wrong have established new
 There will still be difficulties,
communities which developed along ethnic
controversy and growing pains as a
and regional lines.
new nation and a new form of
government evolves.
WHAT STARTED THIS NEW WAY OF THINKING?
The word “Enlightenment” is
defined as the action of being
made aware or the state of being
enlightened.
This is usually associated with the
European intellectual movement of the late
17th and 18th centuries which emphasized
reason and individualism rather than
tradition.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
 The Enlightenment has been defined in many different ways, but at
its broadest sense it can be understood as a philosophical, intellectual
and cultural movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
 It stressed reason, logic, criticism and freedom of thought religious
dogma, blind faith and superstition.
 Logic was now included in a worldview which argued that the
overall observation and the examination of human life could reveal
the truth behind human society and the universe.
 All men were deemed to be rational and understandable.
 The Enlightenment held that there could be a science of man, and
that the history of mankind was one of progress, which could be
continued with the right thinking.
THE ORIGINS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT
 The scientific revolution of the seventeenth century
shattered old systems of thinking, and allowed new
ones to emerge.
 The teachings of the church and the Renaissance, were
suddenly found lacking when dealing with scientific
developments.
 It became both necessary for the Enlightenment
thinkers to apply the new scientific methods to the
study of humanity.

It was argued that what happened during the
Enlightenment was that the overarching religious
stories and myths were replaced by scientific ones.
POLITICS AND RELIGION
 In general, Enlightenment thinkers argued for
freedom of thought, religion and politics.
 The philosophers were largely critical of Europe’s
absolute rulers.
 The philosophers were also deeply critical, indeed
even openly hostile, to the organized religions of
Europe, especially the Catholic Church whose
priests, pope and practices came in for severe
criticism.
 Therefore, personal freedoms or liberty was widely
encouraged by Enlightenment thinkers, who were in
favor of international thinking.
THE EFFECTS OF THE
ENLIGHTENMENT
 The Enlightenment affected many areas of
human existence, including politics; perhaps
the most famous example is that of the US
Declaration of Independence.
 There is also debate about whether the
Enlightenment actually transformed popular
society to match it, or whether it was itself
transformed by society.
 The Enlightenment era saw people turn away
from the dominance of the church.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN AMERICA
 The Enlightenment was crucial in determining almost
every aspect of politics, government, and religion.
 Without the central ideas and figures of the
Enlightenment, the United States would have been
drastically different.
 Both during American Revolution many of the core ideas
of the Enlightenment were the basis for the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution.
 Concepts such as freedom from oppression, natural rights,
and new ways of thinking about governmental structure
came straight from Enlightenment philosophers.
ENLIGHTENED PHILOSOPHER
JOHN LOCKE
 Locke believed that government should exist only to protect the rights of its citizens.
According to Locke, these rights included life, liberty, health, and possessions.
 Locke believed that human nature was rational and tolerant. He also believed that man
was inherently selfish; this is why government was necessary to protect man from
infringement by other men.
 For this reason, Locke believed "Checks and Balances" were necessary for a
functioning government to prevent one group from becoming more powerful than
another. He also stated that in some circumstances, revolution was not merely a
right, but a necessity. This would be the case in which a government began
restricting civil liberties of its citizenry.
 These basic principles had a profound affect on both the
Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
AMERICAN ENLIGHTENED PHILOSOPHERS
 Key figures in the founding of the United States such as Thomas
Jefferson were greatly influenced by the ideas of the
Enlightenment.
 Jefferson was a perfect man of the Enlightenment as he was both
classically educated and trained in the humanities. As the author of
the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson shaped the country by
solidifying the ideas of natural rights in terms of government and
religion.
 In addition, he understood the importance of education in making
these ideals work in the new nation. In many ways, Jefferson
represents the way Enlightenment ideals could be put into practice
in the new colonies.
 Other men, such as Benjamin Franklin was also instrumental in
formulating many of the institutions and philosophies that the
country is based on, their Enlightenment ideas live on.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and
equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions
of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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, laying its foundation on
such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness.