Enlightenment and
the American
Revolution
Definitions
• Philosophe
• Member of a group of Enlightenment thinkers who
tried to apply the methods of science to the
improvement of society
• Natural Law
• Rule or law that governs human nature
• Natural Right
• Right that belongs to all humans from birth
• Enlightenment
• Revolution in thinking. Through the use of reason,
people and governments could solve every social,
political and economic problem.
Enlightenment and the American
Revolution
With a partner answer the questions below on the
BACK of the Unit 7 Illustrated Dictionary
Definitions sheet.
1) What rights do students have at Irving High
School?
2) What rights are not granted to students here?
3) Who grants these rights?
4) How are the rights and privileges granted to
students at Irving High different from rights in
the “real world?”
Enlightenment
and the American Revolution
•With your partner define the word RIGHTS, using
only one sentence. Write this on the BACK of the
Unit 7 Illustrated Dictionary Definitions sheet
• You have 2 minutes.
• Each of you must create a PowerPoint slide entitled
RIGHTS.
On this slide, write your definition of rights.
Insert ONE photograph which illustrates your
definition. You have 5 minutes.
•Include your name and your class period. Submit the slide
in Blackboard’s assignments, folder 1750-1914, title =
“rights.” 5 MINUTES ONLY!!!!
Enlightenment and
the American
Revolution
Complete your illustrated dictionary
definitions. Send me your “Rights”
PowerPoint slide if you have not already
done so!
Enlightenment
and the American Revolution
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Natural right
Right that belongs to all humans from birth
Rule of Law
Government by Law.
The rule of law implies
that government authority
may only be exercised in
accordance with written
laws, which were adopted
through an established procedure.
The Philosophy of Unalienable Rights Advances
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John Locke (1632-1704)
English philosopher; wrote Two Treatises of Government
People are good and are born in a state of nature with
certain unalienable rights
Unalienable rights = rights that you are born with– they
can’t be taken away from you (life, liberty, & property)
People first lived in anarchy
Needed a “social contract” = A society agrees to be
governed by its general will. All individuals should be
forced to abide by the general will because it represents
what is best for the entire community.
People gave up only SOME of their individual rights.
Best govt = limited monarchy with an aristocracy.
Government’s job = protect inalienable rights
Rulers who violated these “natural” rights broke the
social contract and could be overthrown.
Jefferson used Locke’s ideas in the Declaration of
Independence. He states we have unalienable rights (life,
liberty, & the pursuit of happiness). People have the right
& the duty to overthrow a tyrannical govt.
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Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
English philosopher; wrote Leviathan
Believed man is basically evil
People are violent for 3 reasons:
competition (resources), diffidence
(safety), and glory (pride & wealth)
Humanity would destroy itself if there
wasn’t a strong, absolute monarchy
(Leviathan) to govern
Govt is an agreement between the
absolute monarch and the People
Disagreed with “the divine right of
kings.” Believed people signed a
social contract to let govt protect
them.
Enlightenment and the
American Revolution
From Wrongs to Rights!
One great concept which drove the
American Revolution against Great
Britain in 1776 and defined the creation
of the United States of America is the
idea of obtaining “natural rights” for
Americans.
Warm Up: Create a bubble map using
the term “natural rights.”
Enlightenment
and the American Revolution
Create a bubble map.
Rights
from Birth
Natural
Rights
Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)
• French philosophe; authored The Spirit of the
Laws
• Believed England’s constitutional monarchy
was the “perfect” government
• Power is divided evenly between three branches
of government = SEPARATION OF POWERS
a. Legislative – Makes laws (Congress)
b. Executive – Administers laws
(President, army, etc.)
c. Judicial – Interprets and applies laws.
(Supreme Court and lesser courts.)
• Prevents abuse and protects individual rights
because no branch has all of the power =
“Power should be a check to power.”
• Each branch is subject to checks and balances.
• The U.S. Constitution incorporates the ideas of
Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances
Separation of Powers
Montesquieu’s idea was
used in the United
States Constitution.
Draw a
triangle
like the
one here.
Fill in the
information from
slides 12 & 13 in
the triangle
Separation of Powers
Separation of Powers
Montesquieu’s idea was
used in the United
States Constitution.
Congress
Legislative Branch
Lawmaking
Checks and
Balances
Voltaire (1694-1778)
• French philosophe; authored
Philosophical Letters & Treatise on
Toleration
• Argued for freedom of religion &
speech.
• Used public opinion to fight
injustice. “I do not agree with a
word you say, but I will fight to the
death for your right to say it.”
• Believed that the perfect
government was an “enlightened
monarch” = rulers study govt
theories and protect the peoples’
rights
• His ideas are incorporated in the
U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
• French philosophe; wrote the
“Social Contract.”
• Believed that people were born
good, but were corrupted by the
environment, bad government, and
laws.
• Best government = Republican
Democracy that eliminates
aristocratic privileges & titles
• POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY =
people give government its
authority to reign (rule)
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
• English women’s rights advocate
• Wrote A Vindication of the the Rights
of Woman
• Argued for a true republican
democracy that gave women equal
rights also
• Women should have the right to vote,
hold political office, and receive an
education
• Education should stress rationality
• A woman should be able to decide
what was in her own best interest –
not her husband or father
• Her daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft
Godwin Shelley wrote the novel,
Frankenstein
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Adam Smith (1723-1790)
Scottish economist; authored The Wealth of Nations”
Natural laws underly all areas of human life, including politics, economics, &
science
The state should not interfere in economic matters. Govt has 3 jobs
- Defend against invasion
- Protect citizens from injustice
- Maintain public works that the people can’t individually afford
Democracy = best form of govt because it supports free enterprise, capitalism,
and laissez-faire economics
Free enterprise = people market their ideas with little govt interference; govt’s
job is to help businesses & ensure safety in the work place
Laissez-faire = govt keeps its hands off & lets the forces of competition
determine market prices
Capitalism = investors loan businesses money to get started; they receive a
percentage of the profits = capital. Investors re-invest the capital to create more
businesses.
The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution states that government’s job is to
promote the general welfare and to provide for the common defense.
The 4th and 5th amendments of the U.S. Bill of Rights protect individuals from
unwarranted search & seizure.
Growth of Constitutional
Government
• “Constitutional government”
• Government whose power is defined and
limited by law.
• British Constitution = Magna Carta, English Bill
of Rights, all Acts of Parliament and unwritten
traditions that protect citizens’ rights.
• British government not totally democratic.
• Oligarchy
• Government in which the ruling power belongs
to a few people.
Causes of the American Revolution
• SEVEN YEARS WAR
(French and Indian War)
• Conflict between the British
and the French in their North
American colonies
• Fought over Ohio River Valley
and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• Native Americans fought on
the French side.
• American colonists fought on
the British side.
• British win. War EXPENSIVE!
• All French territory in Canada
transferred to the British.
Causes of the American Revolution
(page 539)
The American
Revolution
The War Begins
Foreign Support
and British Defeat.
Causes of the American Revolution
• British taxed colonies to pay for
French and Indian War.
• Stamp Act (1765) – required that
certain printed materials such as legal
documents, newspapers and playing
cards, carry a stamp saying that a tax
had been paid to Britain.
• Tea Act – Tea could be purchased only
from British merchants and was also
taxed.
• Boston Tea Party
• Intolerable Acts – closed Boston
Harbor, rescinded Massachusetts
charter, quartered troops in private
homes.
• Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence
• Drafted by Thomas
Jefferson
• People had the right to
“alter or abolish unjust
governments.”
• (Locke)
• Popular sovereignty All
government power comes
from the people.
• King had trampled the
peoples’ natural rights.
• Colonists now had the right
to rebel
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence
• Unalienable Rights
• From the “Declaration of
Independence” written by Thomas
Jefferson in 1776.
“We hold these truths to be self evident,
that all Men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit
of Happiness; that to secure these
Rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just Powers
from the Consent of the Governed.”
Declaration of Independence
Grievances against
England listed in the
Declaration of
Independence.
1. Define unalienable rights.
2. What is one example of
such a right?
3. Create a Circle Map of some of the Grievances
listed in the Declaration of Independence. Be
sure to include the date that the Declaration
was signed!
Declaration of Independence
• Text of the Declaration of
Independence –
• http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/bdsdcc
:@field(DOCID+@lit(bdsdc
c02101))
• Paraphrase of the
Declaration of Independence
• http://www.mrsrobertson.co
m/moderndecofind.htm
The Constitution = Describes the structure of government. Defines the
powers & responsibilities of government and the citizens’ rights.
• Used ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Voltaire
• Created a Federal Republic
• Government in which power is
divided between the national, or
federal government, and the
states.
• Separation of powers
• Bill of Rights added later.
• Federalist Papers – Writing
campaign to convince American
citizens to ratify the new
Constitution
• George Washington – first President
of the United States of America.
Popular Sovereignty
People
Rule
The people hold
supreme rule –
elected officials
Limited Government
• The power of the
government is limited
by the Constitution.
• The process of creating
laws is set forth in the
Constitution.
• The powers and duties
of all government
branches are
determined by the
Constitution.
Republicanism
• A republic is a nation
governed by elected
representatives.
• These representatives
may be removed from
office by a vote if they
abuse their powers.
Federalism
Federalism: Power
shared between
national and state
governments. National
government takes the
lead in running the
country.
Federal: national
defense, immigration,
foreign policy, national
issues.
State: local education,
licenses, safety, state
taxation, etc.
Separation of Powers
• The main
powers of the
government are
divided.
• There are three
branches of
government.
Separation of Powers
Montesquieu’s idea was
used in the United
States Constitution.
Congress
Legislative Branch
Lawmaking
Checks and Balances
No branch of
federal
government may
be more
powerful than
another
Draw the chart below. Using the information in each box on the
Checks & Balances Chart, write the responsibilities of each branch in
the correct column.
Legislative Branch Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Checks & Balances
Using the Checks & Balances Chart, list the following:
1. 3 legislative checks on the executive
2. 3 legislative checks on the judicial
3. 2 executive checks on the legislative
4. 1 executive check on the judicial
5. 1 judicial check on the executive
6. 1 judicial check on the legislative
Federalist Papers
• The Federalist
Papers were a
writing campaign
to convince
American
citizens to ratify
the new
Constitution.
Bill of Rights
• In a number of states,
Federalists won the battle
over ratification only
because they had offered
to support several
amendments (change) to
the Constitution designed
to promote citizen’s
rights. These 10
amendments came to be
called the Bill of Rights.
Preamble
• Introduction to the
Constitution
• States the goals of
government
• Reflects the idea that the
people give govt its
authority
• List the 6 goals of the
Constitution that are
described in the Preamble
• Draw the chart on the next page.
• Title the Chart “U.S. Bill of Rights”
• Use the hand-out on the Bill of Rights to
complete the chart
• Be sure to include all rights that are listed for
each amendment
• Draw a picture to illustrate each amendment
Bill of Rights
Amendment
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Summary of the right(s) that is(are) guaranteed
Illustration