ENTRANCE SLIP
Why did the English Civil War start?
(Hint think about King Charles I and
Parliament)

THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Also known as “The Age of
Reason”
Scientific Revolution paved the way
Reached its height in the mid-
1700s

KEY IDEAS
Enlightenment philosophers admire scientists’ use of reason to understand the natural world.
These philosophers promote the use of reason to understand government, religion, education, and economics.
They advocate government reform and social improvement.

ENLIGHTENED PHILOSOPHERS AND
WRITERS

THOMAS HOBBES Believed people always acted in their own self interest
Government needed to keep order,
Monarchy is best

JOHN LOCKE Believed people were reasonable beings with the natural ability to govern themselves
Purpose of government was to protect their natural rights of life, liberty, and property
If they failed you should overthrow them

JOHN LOCKE
“…
The Declaration [of Independence] included another of
Locke’s ideas: people had the right “to alter or abolish” unjust governments – a right to revolt. The principle of popular sovereignty, which states that all government power comes from the people, is also an important point in the Declaration. In it, Thomas
Jefferson carefully detailed the colonists’ grievances against Britain. Because the king had trampled colonists’ natural rights, he argued, the colonists had the right to rebel and set up a new government that would protect them. Aware of the risks involved, on
July 4, 1776, American leaders adopted the
Declaration, pledging “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to creating and protecting the new
United States of America.”

Advocated separation of powers and checks and balances to keep any individual or group from gaining complete control of the government

Committed to individual freedom
Viewed government as an agreement (a social contract) among free individuals to create a society guided by the
“general will”

Tolerance, reason, and freedom of thought, expression, and religious belief
Fought against prejudice and superstition

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT
Argued for women’s right to become educated and to participate in politics
Believed women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful

DENIS DIDEROT
Spread enlightened thinking in all areas by publishing the
Encyclopedia

HOW DID ENLIGHTENMENT WRITERS AND THINKERS SET
THE STAGE FOR REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS?
Encouraged people
 to judge for themselves what was right or wrong in society
 Rely on human reason to solve social problems

MAJOR IDEAS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT
• Natural Rights – life, liberty, property =
Locke
• Separation of Powers = Montesquieu
• Freedom of Thought and Expression =
Voltaire
• Abolishment of Torture = Beccaria
• Religious Freedom = Voltaire
• Women’s Equality = Wollstonecraft

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN
“Father of the Symphony”
He broke from traditionally ornate musical forms and developed the sonata and symphony

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Exhibited great range in his works
Moved from the classical style of Mozart to begin new trend that carried music into the Age of Romanticism

FREDERICK THE GREAT
Ruler of Prussia, he granted many religious freedoms
Reduced censorship
Improved education and the justice system
Abolished torture
Thought rulers were to be “the first servant of the state”

JOSEPH II
Austrian King, he abolished serfdom
Initiated legal reforms
Introduced freedom of the press
Supported freedom of religion

CATHERINE THE GREAT
Tried to modernize and reform Russia according to the writings of the philosophes, accomplished limited reforms

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
Voltaire is credited with saying: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend your right to say it.”
What does this statement indicate about Voltaire’s views on free speech? How is it similar to beliefs about free speech in the
U.S.?

What individual rights do U.S. citizens give up in exchange for other guaranteed rights?

WHO’S IDEAS ARE MOST LIKE YOUR OWN?
Hobbes
 People are selfish, selfserving, and brutal.
 Without control, society would be chaotic
Locke
 People are reasonable and able to make decisions.
 People should be able to rule themselves.

F O R E A C H S L I D E
1 .
T E L L M E W H A T E N L I G H T E N M E N T T H I N K E R
W A S M O S T R E S P O N S I B L E F O R T H E I M A G E
O R Q U O T E .
2 .
E X P L A I N Y O U R R E A S O N F O R P I C K I N G T H E
P E R S O N F R O M N U M B E R O N E .

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QUOTE # 1
Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
Abraham Lincoln

QUOTE # 2
Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

QUOTE # 3
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson

QUOTE #4
Evil is not to be traced back to the individual but to the collective behavior of humanity.
” Reinhold Niebuhr

DIRECTIONS
Each group of 2 will be given an important figure of the Enlightenment at random.
The pair will have one class period to create a “Character Collage” of that person showcasing what the person feels, thinks, believes, has accomplished, written, etc. You may use your phones to research your assigned person.

How will you be graded?
• Key ideas are accurately represented by words, phrases and visuals
• Visual elements help viewer understand key ideas
• Layout of collage helps viewer understand belief system
• Color and creative touches mane collage visually appealing
• ALL directions followed including 5 elements, name, life dates, country and creators’ names on the bottom front.
• Group members worked consistently and purposefully
• Group used cooperative skills to complete the project
• Individually worked consistently and purposefully

ENLIGHTENED THINKERS LIST
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Voltaire
Baron de
Montesquieu
Jean Jacques
Rousseau
Mary Wollstonecraft
Denis Diderot
Franz Joseph Haydn
Wolfgang Mozart
Ludwig von
Beethoven
Frederick the Great
Joseph II
Catherine the Great

THE END