(The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment)
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Transcript (The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment)
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
The Scientific Revolution had the greatest influence on the
Enlightenment ideas of natural law and reason
Scientists questioned traditional beliefs about the universe
Observation and experimentation were central ideas
COPERNICUS AND GALILEO
Galileo Galilei’s observations supported the theories of
Nicholas Copernicus
They were both astronomers who supported the
heliocentric theory (planets revolve around the sun)
Their ideas developed into the scientific method (logical
procedure for gathering and testing ideas)
HELIOCENTRIC THEORY
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS
Central belief = the use of reason would lead to human
progress
Philosophers of this period believed society could be best
improved by applying reason and the laws of nature
Similar to the Scientific Revolution because this movement
encouraged the spread of new ideas
Similar to the Renaissance because a new questioning spirit
and attitude emerged
ENLIGHTENMENT POLITICAL VIEWS
European political thinkers who supported this movement
believed governments should protect the rights of people
They also supported representative democracy
Writers during this period wanted to change the relationship
between people and their government
JOHN LOCKE
Important Enlightenment philosopher from England
Believed the purpose of government was to protect the natural rights of
people (life, liberty, property)
Governments should be based on the consent of the people
He directly influenced the following phrase located in the Declaration of
Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal…”
BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
Enlightenment philosopher who wrote The Spirit of Laws
He believed in separating the government into three branches:
legislative, executive, and judicial
Three branches of government would prevent tyrants from
rising to power
ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS
John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau,
and Voltaire all believed in establishing a democratic republic
(people elect their leaders)
Their ideas influenced movements for political reform and
revolutions in Europe and the Americas
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
Scholars in Europe during the mid-1500s replaced old
assumptions with new theories
This was a new way of thinking about the natural world
New way = careful observation and a willingness to
question accepted beliefs
HELIOCENTRIC THEORY
Presented by Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus
Heliocentric Theory = the stars, Earth, and other planets
revolved around the sun
This challenged the geocentric theory that stated all
heavenly bodies revolved around the Earth
Geocentric theory was supported by Greek philosopher,
Aristotle, Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, and Christianity
GALILEO GALILEI
Italian scientist who built upon Copernicus’ ideas about
astronomy
He built and used his own telescope in 1609 to study the
heavens
Discovered 4 moons orbiting Jupiter, the sun’s dark spots, and
the moon’s surface was rough and uneven
In 1633, he was forced to confess to the Catholic Church that
the ideas of Copernicus were false, otherwise he would have
faced torture
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Developed by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes
Modern scientific methods are based on their ideas
Scientists have shown that observation and experimentation,
together with general laws expressed by mathematics, can
help people better understand the natural world
Scientific Method = observation-> question-> hypothesis->
experimentation-> conclusion
ISAAC NEWTON
English scientist who discovered the law of universal gravitation
Law = all physical objects are affected equally by the same force; this force
ruled the motion of the planets and all matter on Earth and in space
Every object in the universe attracts every other object
The degree of attraction depends upon the mass of the objects and the
distance between them
He believed that God created the universe to function perfectly according
to mathematics
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
This was a revolution in intellectual activity that changed
Europeans’ view of government and society
Scientific Revolution led to the Enlightenment which was a
movement stressing the use of reason and logic
The literate middle class, thinkers and artists, and American
colonists were all influenced by this movement
THOMAS HOBBES
English political thinker who distrusted humans and
favored a strong government to keep order
In his book Leviathan (1651), Hobbes promotes social
contract, which is achieving order in society by giving
power to an absolute monarch
JOHN LOCKE
English philosopher who criticized absolute monarchy
Consent of the Governed = he proclaimed that governments get their
power from the people
Stresses that people have a right to overthrow an unjust government
Natural rights = he believed that all people are born free and equal and
have the right to life, liberty, and property
His ideas directly influenced the American Revolution and our
Constitution
PHILOSOPHES
Philiosphes is the French word for philosophers
They believed progress (improvement) for society could
be achieved through reason, nature, happiness, and
liberty
Salons = regular social gatherings where philosophers,
writers, artists, and scientists met to spread
Enlightenment thinking; began in Paris
VOLTAIRE
French philosopher who fought for tolerance, reason,
freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech
Made powerful enemies and was imprisoned twice for his
views
His view on religious freedom directly influenced our First
Amendment in the U.S. Bill of Rights
BARON DE MONTESQUIEU
French writer who favored separation of powers to keep one
body from completely running a government
He believed in three branches of government – legislative,
executive, and judicial
In his book, On the Spirit of Laws (1748), he explains the
concept of “checks and balances”
JEAN JACQUES ROSSEAU
Believed that civilization corrupted people’s natural goodness
He believed that the only good government was one that was
freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will”
of society
His book, The Social Contract (1762), explains the idea of a
direct democracy
NEOCLASSICAL STYLE
Pre-Enlightenment art style was baroque - grand and ornate
designs (over-the-top)
Enlightenment style was neoclassical, which emphasized
elegance and simplicity
New style was based on Greek and Roman themes
Classical music emerges – lighter and more elegant than
earlier style; led by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and
Beethoven
ENLIGHTENED DESPOTS
Monarchs who embraced Enlightenment values to strengthen their rule
Frederick II - king of Prussia (1740 to 1786); reforms education and justice
system, grants freedom of worship, and abolishes torture
Catherine the Great – ruler of Russia (1762 to 1796); she responded to a
peasant revolt by giving nobles more power over serfs and successfully
expanded the Russian empire by seizing northern coast of Black Sea and
large parts of Poland
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Enlightenment ideas swept through Europe as well as colonial America
The spirit of questioning during the Scientific Revolution influenced the
American Revolution because it led to challenging ideas about government
After England passed the Stamp Act in 1765, American colonists accused
Parliament of “taxation without representation” which was a violation of
their “natural rights”
The colonists won the American Revolution (1775 to 1781) due to a strong
motivation to fight for their land, mistakes made by British generals,
guerilla warfare, and the British having to fight an overseas war
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Written by Thomas Jefferson and issued on July 4th, 1776
Colonial leaders used Enlightenment ideas to justify
independence
John Locke’s natural laws of life, liberty, and property, as well
as the pursuit of happiness, were incorporated into the actual
document
ARTICLES OF CONFEDRATION
In 1781, the original 13 States created a government with
a legislature only (Congress) and no executive or judicial
branches
Result was a weak national government that failed to
provide unity and order
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Leaders call the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to revise
the Articles
In 1787, the Constitution creates three branches of
government
Provides checks and balances - ensures branches share power
equally
Promotes federal system - power divided between national
and state governments
BILL OF RIGHTS
Some Americans feared too much national power and few protections of
rights
Leaders won support for creating a new Constitution by adding a Bill of
Rights (completed in 1789 and ratified in 1791)
Bill of Rights = the first ten amendments to Constitution that protect
human freedoms and civil liberties
The Bill of Rights was influenced by John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau