By Kat Staley, Jamie Shirtz and Kaitie Hess
Biography

 Born Jan. 18, 1689 in La Brede, France to a wealthy
family
 Sent to Tully, near Paris to receive a classical education
 Became lawyer
 Marries Jeanne de Latrigue and recieves great wealth
 Uncle dies, leaving him his title, fortune, and office
 Publishes his work, including “Persian Letters” and
“The Spirit of Laws”
 Dies February 10 in Bordeaux
Philosophical Ideas

People Cannot Govern Themselves:
 Solid government ruling over people
 Freedom is the right to be left alone
 England’s government was well off
Philosophical Ideas

Humankind is Bad:
 Savage without art or science
 “Eat or be eaten”
 Civilizations devour each other
Beliefs in Government

 Best form of government: one in which power is
balanced among three groups of officials
-contributed checks and balances
1.) Executive - enforced laws- King, President
2.) Legislative - made laws- Parliament, Congress
3.) Judicial – interprets laws- Supreme Court, English Court
Beliefs in Government

 Contributed New Ideas:
- political liberty- people have the right “to do
what one should want to do, and not being forced to do
what one should not want to do”
- laws are not divinely inspired-they evolved
naturally out of life
- “the separation of power”: balancing power so
one does not abuse it
Affect on the Revolution

 Colonists struggling under taxes and restrictions
 Beliefs quoted in the media to support colonists’
protest
 Use model government and constitution to
contradict English government
 “They should be adapted in such a manner to the
people for whom they are framed that it should be a
great chance if those of one nation suit another”
Work Cited

Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu. Law Brain, 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://lawbrain.com/wiki/Baron_de_la_Br%C3%A8de_et_de_Montesquieu>.
“Charles de Montesquieu.” Liberal Internation. Liberal International, 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.liberal- international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=675>.
Montesquieu. Cartage, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/biographies/mainbiographies/m/monte
squieu/1.html>.
Schaub, Diana. “Montesquieu’s Popular Science.” The New Atlantis - Montesquieu. The Center for
the Study of Technology and Society, 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/montesquieus-popular-science>.
“Spirit of Laws - 1748.” Montesquieu, Natural Law, and Natural Rights. The Witherspoon
Institute, 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.nlnrac.org/earlymodern/montesquieu/primary-sourcedocuments>.