Chapter 18: Enlightenment
and Revolution
Section 1: The Age of
Exploration
I CAN…
 1.)
Describe the causes and effects of
European exploration after 1400
including:
 A.)
Imperialism
 B.) Colonialism
 C.) Mercantilism
 D.) Impact on the peoples of sub-Saharan
Africa, Asia, and the Americas
Europe Gets Ready to Explore

Reasons why they begin to explore:
1.) Wanted to find a sea route to trade for silks
and spices of E. Asia
 2.) Had the right technology

Arabs- Astrolabe
 Chinese- Compass
 Portuguese- Caravel


3.) Kingdoms become stronger and wealthier

4 major kingdoms:
1.)
 2.)
 3.)
 4.)

Portugal
Spain
France
England
Spain Fights England

After Columbus, the Spanish went on to build a vast
empire in America


Soon after Cortes conquered the Aztecs and Pizarro
conquered the Inca, gold and silver began to flow in to
Europe from Spain’s empire in America
Meanwhile, Spain and England had become enemies
Due to England aiding the Dutch’s (part of Spain’s empire)
Protestant revolt
 Also, Elizabeth I allowed English pirates to raid Spanish
treasure ships
 Fed up, Spanish King Philip II sent the Spanish Armada to
invade England
 England’s smaller, faster ships win
 Shows that England is now the world power

What is Mercantilism?

The idea that a country gains power by building up
its supply of gold and silver
Best way to do this: export more than you import
 Also thought countries should set up colonies
 Produce goods their parent country does not have


Europeans began setting up trading posts in Asia
and North America


Took silver to Asia and brought back spices and silk to
Europe
Trading overseas was very expensive
Businesses needed people to invest to help pay costs
 Major projects needed a group of investors to back it
 Became known as joint-stock companies

Global Exchange






1.) What foods came from America to
Europe?
2.) What foods came from Europe and Asia
to America?
3.) What new animals were brought to
America? How did they change life in
America?
4.) Describe the movement of people during
this time?
5.) How did Europeans change Asian society?
6.) What new diseases were brought to
America by Europeans? Who did they effect?
Section 3: The Enlightenment
I
CAN…
 1.)
Define the Enlightenment
 2.) Define natural law
 3.) Describe the contributions to the
Enlightenment including:
 A.)
Thomas Hobbes
 B.) John Locke
 C.) Montesquieu
 D.) Voltaire
 E.) Diderot
 F.) Rousseau
New Ideas about Politics
 During
the Enlightenment, political
thinkers tried to apply reason and
scientific ideas to gov’t
 Claimed there was a natural law that
applied to everyone and could be
understood by reason
This law was key to understanding
gov’t
Who was Thomas Hobbes?
 Argued
that natural law made absolute
monarchy the best form of gov’t
 Humans
were naturally selfish and violent;
could not be trusted to make own
decisions
People need to obey a very powerful
gov’t
Only a strong ruler could give people
direction
Why is John Locke
Important?


Used natural law to affirm citizens’ rights and
to make gov’t answerable to the people
Believed gov’t should be based on nat’l law

This law gave all people, from birth, certain natural
rights
Life, liberty, and right to own property
 Believed the purpose of gov’t was to protect these
rights
 All gov’ts are based on a social contract w/ its people
 If a ruler took away people’s natural rights, the
people had the right to revolt and set up a new gov’t

Who Was Montesquieu?

French thinker who said England’s gov’t was
the best bc it had a separation of powers

Power should be equally divided among the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of a
gov’t
Legislative= Makes laws
 Executive= Enforces laws
 Judicial= Interprets laws and punishes those that break
laws


By separating these powers, gov’t could not
become too powerful and threaten people’s rights
What Do Enlightenment
Thinkers Believe?
 1.)
Use reason to change society
 2.) Disagreed w/ Church leaders who
opposed new scientific discoveries
 3.) Freedom of speech
 4.) Individual’s right to liberty
Who Was Voltaire?
 Greatest
thinker of the Enlightenment
 Had a strong dislike of the Roman
Catholic Church
 Opposed the gov’t supporting one
religion and forbidding others
 Thought people should be free to
choose their own beliefs
Who Was Diderot?
 Did
the most to spread Enlightenment
ideas
 Created the Encyclopedia that became
the thinkers’ main weapon against
traditional ways
Rousseau’s Social Contract

Claimed that supporters of the Enlightenment
relied too much on reason


Believed human beings were naturally good,
but civilized life corrupted them


Felt that people should pay more attention to
their feelings
To improve, people should live simpler lives
closer to nature
Stated that a workable gov’t should be based
on a social contract

This is an agreement in which everyone in a
society agrees to be governed by what society as
a whole wants
The Enlightenment and
Women
 At
this time, we see women thinkers
calling for women’s rights
 Most powerful= Mary Wollstonecraft
Believed that women have reason
so they should have the same
rights as men in education, the
workplace, and in politics