Influences on American Democracy
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The Age of Enlightenment refers to the time period from
the mid-1600s to about 1800 also known as the Age of
Reason.
During this time period, people began to place emphasis
on reason and logic.
People sought to reform society and advance knowledge
by taking an intellectual look at the fields of science,
politics, and social theories.
Individualism, or the idea that each individual has value,
deserves dignity, and is born with rights, looks to be the
driving force behind the Age of Enlightenment.
Rationalism, the idea that humans should find truth
through reason and logic, was also prevalent during this
time period.
John Locke
 Charles-Louis Montesquieu
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau
 Thomas Hobbes
 Voltaire
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Locke was an important political
philosopher of the Enlightenment.
He believed that a government was
legitimate only if it had received
the consent of the people it ruled.
He also believed the government
should protect the natural rights
of citizens and that all individuals
should be equal under the law.
 This principle is seen in the
Declaration of Independence.
 The colonist knew this principle by the
name popular sovereignty .
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Montesquieu was a French political
thinker known for his ideas
regarding the separation of
powers in government.
In his work entitled The Spirit of
the Laws, Montesquieu argued
against one large government
structure controlling every aspect
of law and instead proposed the
idea of separate branches.
LOOKS FAMILIAR!
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Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher,
writer, and Enlightenment thinker
who’s philosophy was influenced
much by the French Revolution.
Known as one of the great thinkers
of Enlightenment, he saw how
humans were able to establish a
new sense of logic and reason.
Rousseau argued that every person
was capable of such thinking and
therefore could choose his or her
own destiny.
In his famous work, Reveries of a
Solitary Walker, we see this idea
expressed.
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Hobbes was said to be the first to
develop social contract theory.
He believed strongly that people
naturally give up certain rights to a
government in order to maintain
social order.
His thought was without government
structure, people would fight each
other and would never know peace.
Hobbes states that "The natural state
of men, before they were joined in
society, was a war, and not simply,
but a war of all against all."
The quote above caused Hobbes to
believed that the only cure of such a
war was the creation of a strong
government with almost absolute
power.
He also believed that people would
freely give up their rights of
governing themselves in order to live
in peace.
 Voltaire
was a French
writer.
 Just as his
Enlightenment counterparts did, Voltaire
believed in each
individual's civil
liberties, including free
speech and freedom of
religion.
Could these Enlightenment
beliefs be the origin of the
Bill of Rights?
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The English Bill of Rights
The Mayflower Compact
Two Treaties of Government
The Scientific Revolution
The American Revolution
The French Revolution
The Declaration of Independence
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The philosophies of Ancient Greece and Rome
Massachusetts Body of Liberties
Suffolk Resolves
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Emphasis on republicanism, liberty, and the
rights of citizens
Ideas can be seen in the Declaration of
Independence and the Bill of Rights
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Written in 1641
Set rules on how colonial government
should treat citizens and how citizens
should treat each other
Influential to leaders of Revolution in
deciding how to set up government
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Declared in 1774 in Suffolk County,
Massachusetts
A response to Intolerable Acts
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Boycott/Refusal to use British goods
Refusal to comply with punishment against
Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party
Support of a government in Massachusetts
separate from the royal government
Support of the colonist raising a militia
independent from British troops
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Common Sense
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John Locke’s Second Treatise