Enlightenment & American
Revolution
Ch 17
Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Sec 1
Natural Law
• Who: Europeans
• What: rules that are discoverable by reasoning
that governed scientific forces such as gravity &
magnetism
• Where: Europe
• When: 1500s-1600s
• Why: scientific success convinced educated
Europeans of the power of human reason; used
to better understand social, economic, & political
probs; used this to study human behavior & solve
probs = led to the Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes
• Who: 17th century English thinker
• What: set forth ideas that were to become key to
the Enlightenment ; wrote “Leviathan”
• Where: England
• When: 1700s
• Why: he lived through upheavals in the English
Civil War; outlined his ideas in “Leviathan”=
argued that ppl were naturally cruel, greedy &
selfish; he said that ppl entered into “Social
Contract” to avoid brutal life; best gov’t=
Absolute Monarchy
John Locke
• Who: 17th century English thinker
• What: set forth ideas that were to become key to the
Enlightenment
• Where: England
• When: 1700s
• Why: he thought ppl were reasonable & moral; ppl had
certain natural rights: life, liberty, & property; came to
very diff ideas about the human nature & role of govt=
govt has obligation to its ppl, if it fails, it fails the ppl =
if govt violates natural rights = ppl have a right to
overthrow= American & French Revolutions
Social Contract
• Who: European ppl; Thomas Hobbes
• What: an agreement where ppl gave up their
freedom for an organized society
• Where: Europe
• When: 1500s-1600s
• Why: Hobbes said that ppl entered into this
agreement to escape the brutish lifestyle;
believed a powerful govt = orderly society;
promoted Absolutism
Natural Right
• Who: John Locke
• What: rights that belonged to all humans on
earth such as life, liberty, & property
• Where: England
• When: 1700-1800s
• Why: Locke believed ppl are reasonable &
moral= they have rights from birth; ppl had a
right to overthrow a govt if these rights were
violated = American & French Revolutions
Philosophe
• Who: French Enlightenment
thinkers/philosophers
• What: they believed the use of reason could
lead to reforms of gov’t, law, & society
• Where: France, Europe
• When: 1700s
• Why: this group of thinkers started
Enlightenment thought = spread throughout
Europe & beyond; applied methods of science
to improve society
Montesquieu
• Who: an early influential thinker; a philisophe
• What: studied the gov’ts of Europe & learned
about Chinese & Native Am. Cultures; wrote
“Sprit of Laws”
• Where: France, Europe
• When: 1689-1748
• Why: his sharp criticism of Absolutism = debate;
in order to protect liberty the gov’t should be
divided into 3 branches; idea taken by framers of
US Constitution; wrote “Persian Letters”=
ridiculed French Gov’t
Lab- ch 2 lab packet & Budget Hero
Voltaire
• Who: a Philosophe, poet & historian
• What: an imprisoned poet, historian, essayist
& philosopher
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1694-1778
• Why: he detested the slave trade; deplored
religious prejudice; defended principle of
freedom of speech; his new ideas= imprisoned
& forced into exile
Diderot
• Who: a Philosophe, editor of the Encyclopedia
• What: he produced a 28-volume set of books
called the Encyclopedia
• Where: Europe, the Americas
• When: 1751-1789
• Why: he wanted to change the general way of
thinking by explaining ideas on topics such as
gov’t, philosophy, religion = urged education for
all ; included articles from Montesquieu &
Voltaire; denounced slavery & praised freedom of
expression
Rousseau
• Who: Jean-Jacques Rousseau; a Philosophe
• What: created the Social Contract (book) society
placed too many limitations on ppl’s behavior;
believed that ppl were basically good
• Where: France
• When: 1762
• Why: believed in good will & best conscience of
the ppl; he showed great hate for oppression; his
ideas= American & French Revolutions;
influenced social & political reformers for over
200 years
Laissez-Faire
• Who: French thinkers; Adam Smith
• What: a policy allowing business to operate
w/ little or no gov’t interference
• Where: France,
• When: 1700-1800
• Why: this rejected Mercantilism= gov’t
controls the economy to reach a favorable
balance of trade; this supported free trade &
opposed tarriffs
Adam Smith
• Who: Scottish Economist
• What: In his influential work “Wealth of Nations”
he advocated for the free market should be
allowed to regulate business activity
• Where: Scotland, Europe, Americas
• When: 1800-1900s
• Why: he was a strong supporter of Laissez-Faire;
felt gov’t should only administer justice & provide
public work; his ideas= shape productive
economies in 1800-1900s
Rococo
• Who: Architect & Designers
• What: Personal, elegant style of art & architecture
made popular that featured designs.
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1600’s-1700’s (mid)
• Why: Rococo art moved away from religion unlike,
Baroque. Rococo was believed to encourage
imagination. Portrait showed noble subjects in
charming rural settings, surrounded by happy servants.
Despite it being criticized it had a vast of people in
upper class & graving middle class.
Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Sec 2
Censorship
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Who: European writers
What: restricting access to ideas & info
Where: France, Europe, Americas, Middle East
When: 1700s
Why: Authorities had to defend the “Old
order” that God had set up agnst the writers’
new ideas= banned all books & burn books &
imprison the writers= writers disguise their
ideas in fiction
Salons
• Who: writers, artists ,& philosophers; French
women
• What: an informal social gathering for women in
their homes
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1600-1700s
• Why: it started in 1600s- noblewomen began
inviting friends to their homes for poetry
readings; by 1700s it flourished- middle class
women are now invited= equal footing = discuss
& spread enlightenment ideas
Baroque
• Who: Greek & Romans
• What: Courtly art and architecture were neither
in the Greek and Romans tradition or in a grand,
ornate style.
• Where: Europe
• When: 1600’s-1700’s
• Why: Baroque paintings were huge, colorful, and
full of excitement. They glorified historic battles
or the lives of the saints. Such works matched the
grandeur of the European courts at that time.
Enlightenment Despot
• Who: Monarchs, Frederick the Great, Joseph II,
and Catherine the Great
• What: Those that accepted enlightenment ideas.
• Where: Europe
• When:1700’s
• Why: they were absolute rulers who used their
powers to bring about political and social change.
These philosophies convinced rulers that change
and reform was necessary.
Frederick the Great
• Who: King of Prussia
• What: Exerted &extremely tight control over his
subjects.
• Where: 1740-1786
• When: Prussia
• Why: He saw himself as the “First servant of the state,”
with a duty to work for the common good. He openly
praised Voltaire’s work. He reduce the use of torture
and allow a free press. He recognized the governments
civil service and simplified laws, the tolerated religious
differences.
Catherine the Great
• Who: Catherine II, Empress of Russia, Enlightened
Despot
• What: she believed in the Enlightenment ideas =
Enlightened Despot = used those ideas to bring
about change
• Where: Russia
• When: 1761• Why: made limited reforms in law & gov’t,
abolished torture & est. religious tolerance;
granted nobles charter of rights
Joseph II
• Who: Maria Theresa’s son & successor;
Enlightened Despot
• What: traveled in disguise among his subjects to
learn about their probs; brought reforms to
Austria (Enlightened Despot)
• Where: Austria
• When: 1700-1800s
• Why: his reforms began to modernize Austria’s
gov’t; supported religious equality for Protestants
& Jews in his Catholic empire
American Revolution
Sec 3
George III
• Who: English King
• What: new English king that set out to restore
powers for England that the crown had lost to the
colonies
• Where: England
• When: 1760-1820
• Why: he set out to reassert royal power over the
colonies; he wanted to end Whig domination;
dissolves cabinet system in colonies ; made
Parliament follow his own will; his policies were
disastrous= colonists MAD; taxing the American
colonies = Revolution!
Stamp Act
• Who: King George III vs colonists
• What: an imposed tax on items such as
newspapers & pamphlets
• Where: England to American Colonies
• When: 1765
• Why: the 7 years war/French & Indian war
drained English treasury = King George III
thought the colonies should pay = Sugar Act &
Stamp act (Taxes them) = made the colonists
mad = American Revolution
George Washington
• Who: soldier & political & social leader
• What: commander of the continental Army
(Colonists’ army) & 1st president of the USA
• Where: Virginia, Americas
• When: 1732-1789
• Why: led the American Army against the British;
incorporated order & discipline- strong leader; he
enforced strength & determination in the
colonists’ army = they won the American
Revolution= The independent United States
Thomas Jefferson
• Who: principal author of Declaration of Independence,
Virginian
• What: he wrote the Dec of Ind- the most important
document to the US
• Where: Virginia, America
• When: 1776
• Why: he reflected John Locke’s ideas of the people’s
rights of life, liberty, property in the Dec of Ind; the
document protected the ppl’s rights of a free country;
this document is the basis of the United States’
freedom & is still present as our freedom today
Popular Sovereignty
• Who: John Locke
• What: a theory that states that all gov’t power
comes from the ppl; imp. Part of the Dec of Ind
• Where: Virginia, United States
• When: 1776
• Why : this argued that the colonists had the right
to rebel against unjust gov’ts = Am. Rev. =
Colonists form their own politically sovereign
govt
Yorktown, Virginia
• Who: French, British, American Colonists
• What: French/American fleet blockaded
Chesapeake bay which forced the British to
surrender to GW & Americans
• Where: Yorktown, VGA
• When: 1781
• Why: British effort crumbled= Treaty of Paris
(ended the war)= British now recognized the
independence of the USA
Treaty of Paris
• Who: British, French, Americans
• What: the treaty that ended the American
Revolution
• Where: United States
• When: 1781
• Why: this ended the Am Rev= The British had
to recognize America as an independent
nation
James Madison
• Who: Constitutional Convention’s floor leader
• What: helped write the Constitution &
became a respected American leader
• Where: Philadelphia, PA, USA
• When: 1751-1836
• Why: he created a federal republic (the new
gov’t) along w. the other framers of the
constitution; his document (Constitution) est a
gov’t for the ppl, by the ppl
Benjamin Franklin
• Who: a national leader in the Am Rev
• What: the nation’s leaders met in secret to
redraft the Articles of the new constitution of
the United States- wrote the Constitution
• Where: Philadelphia, PA, USA
• When: 1787
• Why: he helped write the US Constitution =
this est. a gov’t for the ppl, by the ppl
Federal Republic
• Who: Americans
• What: a gov’t in which power is divided by the
nation (federal govt) and the states (local)
• Where: USA
• When: 1780s
• Why: the Constitution created this gov’t for
the USA- the newly independent country after
the Am Rev; Republic- ppl are represented and
have a say; we have this govt today in the USA