THE
AGE of REASON
and
ENLIGHTENMENT
Warm-Up
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List and explain (3) Natural Rights that you and
your partner believe you inherit when you are
born:
1.
2.
3.
The Age of Reason and
Enlightenment
The Age of Reason and Enlightenment
contributed to a shift in political thought.
Philosophers questioned the “state” and
“monarchy” with the new found power of
reason. Their ideals included equality,
tolerance and governance based on the
consent of the people. Enlightenment
ideals laid the intellectual foundation for
political revolutions such as, the
American Revolution, the French
Revolution, the Glorious Revolution and
revolutions in Latin America.
ENLIGHTENMENT
The Enlightenment is based upon the view that modern science.
As a result it spawned an era of free-thinking individualism.
New philosophies dealt with government, religion, &
relationships between people. People began to look for laws to
govern human behavior and most believed that the
government’s power should come from the consent of the
governed.
Science and Enlightenment
Scientific Revolution promoted
application of reason and the
scientific method to all aspects of
society including government.
#1 What role, if any,
does Science play in
government today?
Philosophes

Philosophes opposed divine right to rule, absolute
monarchies & the privileges of nobility & clergy.
Philosophers had NO traditional religious values
(they were against organized religious institutions) –
most were atheist.
Enlightenment Beliefs
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Oppressive governments can be reformed or
overthrown. – who said it?
Social inequality can be alleviated and, maybe,
overcome.
Disease is not to be accepted stoically but to be fought
with new medicines. – who is creating it?
Ignorance can be overcome through universal public
education.
There is no limit to what human reason can
achieve.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF
ENLIGHTENED THINKERS
Many of the thinkers of the Enlightenment
worked to change the way governments
operated. This influenced some aristocratic
rulers to govern as absolute monarchs and
others as “enlightened” monarchs.
# 2 Do you think the Enlightenment ideas might
have an impact on the way Absolute Monarchs
governed?
JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)

An English philosopher and physician, he believed that
people have the natural ability to govern their own
affairs and look after the welfare of society; endowed
with the natural rights of life, liberty and property;
people can overthrow a government that does not
protect these rights.
#3 According to Locke, can
we as United States citizens
overthrow our government if
we feel it is not protecting
our rights?
THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679)
He developed – social contract theory – people create
government and give up some of their rights to a
strong ruler in exchange for law and order – i.e.
absolute monarchy.
Wrote the “Leviathan” – (1651) states the people should
establish trust or a “Contract” with the government to
keep peace and create stability.
#4 Do we have
this kind of trust
in our
government
today? Why or
why not?
What exactly is a Leviathan?
It is referred to as:
a monster/giant/destructive animal etc. who
brings on force or destructive behavior.
To make peace with the giant is to create
stability!!
MONTESQUIEU (France - 1689-1755)
French social commentator and political thinker, he
believed power should be balanced between three
branches of officials (separation of powers)– three
branches of government and checks and balances on
these powers and that people must be guarded from
corrupt leaders
#5 Why was the
creation of
separation of powers
so important in the
United States?
ROUSSEAU (1712-1778)
From Geneva Switzerland, Rousseau believed the general
will, usually defined as the majority, should determine the
laws of the nation. Individual freedoms should be
protected by these laws. Education carries great
importance.
ROUSSEAU
Wrote “The Social Contract”, 1763 – give the
power to the people. The legislative
power belongs to the people, and
can belong to it alone.
The Social Contract helped
inspire political reforms or
revolutions in Europe, especially
in France.
# 6. Analyze the following quote by
Rousseau and discuss with your
partner.
“Man is born free, and everywhere
he is in chains.”
John Calvin (1509 – 1564)
 French theologian and
pastor, he believed
government and religion
should be interrelated;
divinity and worship should
be applied to uphold the
laws of man. (Calvinism)
 #7 Why would U.S. citizens
struggle with Calvin’s idea
of politics and religion?
#9 In the U.S. our government must show neither
official approval nor disapproval of religion, or favor
one religion over another. With your partner explain
what this means.
Thomas Jefferson
(April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826)
Jefferson was an American Founding Father, the
principal author of the Declaration of Independence
(1776) and the third President of the United States
(1801–1809)
He and our Founding Fathers believed that people are
born with certain God-given rights that cannot be taken
away; people have the right to rebel against an unjust
ruler.
#8 If you had to give up one of your unalienable natural
rights guaranteed by the US Constitution which one would
you be willing to sacrifice?
KEY PERSONS WHO SUCCESSFULLY SHIFTED
POLITICAL THOUGHT
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Mary Wollstonecraft – (27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797)
was an eighteenth-century British writer, philosopher, and
advocate of women's rights. she argues that women are not
naturally inferior to men, but appear to be only because they lack
education. She suggests that both men and women should be
treated the same.
#9 When did women
finally receive
suffrage
In the United States?
Google: Women’s
Right to Vote…Which
amendment is it and
when was it created?
Why did it take
so long?
KEY PERSONS WHO SUCCESSFULLY SHIFTED
POLITICAL THOUGHT
 William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) British
politician who successfully led the movement to abolish slavery
in Great Britain In 1807, the Slave Trade Act of 1807 led to the
end of the African slave trade. Shortly before his death in 1833,
Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 that ended
slavery in most of the British Empire.
KEY PERSONS WHO SUCCESSFULLY SHIFTED
POLITICAL THOUGHT
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Simon Bolivar (24 July 1783 – 17
December 1830), was a Venezuelan
military and political leader. Bolívar
played a key role in Hispanic
America's successful struggle for
independence from the Spanish
Empire. Bolivia was named after
him.
HOW THE ENLIGHTENMENT SPREAD
Diderot's Encyclopedia
 The ideas of Enlightenment reached
a much wider audience with the
writing of Denis Diderot's
Encyclopedia. The encyclopedia
gathered all the most current ideas
about music, art, writing,
philosophy, government and
science. The first volumes of the
Encyclopedia were published in
1751.
HOW THE ENLIGHTENMENT SPREAD
Newspapers and Pamphlets
 The thinkers responsible
for the Enlightenment
ideas considered
themselves part of an
intellectual community.
They produced printed
materials in such quantity
that the new ideas spread
quickly from the wealthy
to the middle class.
Impact of the Enlightenment
Belief in progress through social equality
and improvements in education
 More secular outlook that questioned
religious beliefs and teachings of the
church
 Importance of the individual: as people
turned away from the church, they
looked towards themselves
for guidance
 Inspiration for the American and
French Revolutions
#10 How did the Enlightenment
influence political revolutions?
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Influence of the Enlightenment on Abstract
Concepts on Political Revolutions
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Separation of powers and Checks and balances
Liberty and Equality
Democracy and Human rights
Popular sovereignty- political power rests with the
people who can create, alter, or abolish government.
Constitutionalism – the idea that the basic principles
and laws of a government should be organized and
administered
Nationalism – devotion to the interests or culture of
one's nation; the belief that nations will benefit from
acting independently
IMPACT OF ELIGHTENMENT POLITICAL
AND LEGAL IDEAS FROM HISTORICAL
DOCUMENTS

English Bill of Rights
 Limitations on absolute
monarch!!
 No levying of taxes without
Parliament’s consent
 No suspension of freedom of
speech in Parliament
 Citizens have right to petition
king with grievances
#11 Explain how
enlightenment ideas
can cause people to
revolt against their
country?
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IMPACT OF ELIGHTENMENT POLITICAL AND
LEGAL IDEAS FROM HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Declaration of the Rights of
Man and of the Citizen
 Men are born and remain
free and equal in rights that
include liberty, property,
security, and freedom from
oppression
 Governments preserve
these rights
 Freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, equal
justice to all citizens
 Life, Liberty, and
Fraternity
•Declaration of Independence
•Unalienable rights – life, liberty,
the pursuit of happiness
•People have the right to change
or abolish a government that
does not protect their rights
#12 The Declaration of Rights of
Man in France derives some of
its ideas from our Declaration of
Independence? How are they
similar?
HOW PEOPLE CAN SUPPORT OR
CHANGE THEIR GOVERNMENT
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Support:
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Voting
Registering others to vote
Paying taxes
Recruitment to the military
Change:
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Revolution: United States, France, Glorious Revolution in England,
Spanish colonies in Latin America, Russia
#13 Thinking of World Events such as the Arab Spring
(revolutions taking place in Northern Africa and the Middle
East), list (5) reasons why is it important for people to have a
voice in government?
Nationalist
Movement- Iraq got
to vote! – very
similar to our voting
stickers.
By December 2013, rulers have been forced from power in Tunisia, Egypt (twice), Libya, and
Yemen
Civil uprisings have erupted in (2 areas) Bahrain and Syria
Major protests have broken out in (6 areas) Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Sudan
Minor protests have occurred in (7 areas) Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Western
Sahara, and the Palestinian territories.