Transcript The Enlightenment Age - Streetsboro City Schools

The Enlightenment Age
What Do You Know
About It?
ENLIGHTENMENT
What was the
ENLIGHTENMENT?
17th Century (that’s the
1600s) intellectual movement
in Europe
-Writers of the Enlightenment
wrote about the need to LIMIT
THE POWER OF
GOVERNMENT & CHURCH
over the people!
-Major writers of the
Enlightenment time period
were John Locke and JeanJacques Rousseau
-The ideas of Enlightenment
writers about GOVERNMENT’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO ITS
CITIZENS INSPIRED BOTH THE
AMERICAN AND FRENCH
REVOLUTIONS AGAINST
DICTATORIAL MONARCHIES
100 Years LATER!
Major Enlightenment Ideas
Every social, political and economic
problem could be solved through the
use of reason
 Governments are created to secure an
orderly society
 Separation of powers is the best way to
protect human liberties
 All men are created “free and equal”
 A free market should be allowed to
regulate trade

What a concept!
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Enlightenment thinkers
rejected the authority
of the church and
absolute monarchs and
upheld the freedom of
individuals to think for
themselves.
Rene Descartes: “I
think, therefore I am.”
The Spread of the
Enlightenment
John Locke
Natural Rights
Locke believed that people have
what are called “natural rights”.
These are rights that people are
born with and cannot be taken away.
The Role of Government
Locke did believe that there was
some evil in the world and that
people have problems protecting
their “natural rights”. Thus,
Locke believed that governments
exist to protect the natural rights of
the people.
Agreement between a
Government and its People
Locke believed that people must
agree to give up some power to the
government and government must
use that power to protect people’s
rights. BUT…if government does
not protect its people the people
have the right to overthrow the
government!!!!
John Locke also challenged the idea of the DEVINE RIGHT OF KINGS:
The belief that those who were Kings were chosen so by GOD!
*REMEMBER: any time you see the word “Enlightenment” on the OGT
you are looking for an answer that discusses citizens getting their
independence by overthrowing a dictator or absolute monarch!
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
-Rousseau believed that
while people created govt
to protect their rights they
soon became enslaved by
their government…so……
-He presented the idea of the
“SOCIAL
CONTRACT”members
of a society agree to be ruled
by the majority will. This
means people live by the
laws and consequences
approved by the majority of
the population.
What does this remind
you of?
Voltaire
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Wrote more than 70 books of
political essays, philosophy,
and drama.
Used satire against his
enemies, especially the
clergy.
Beliefs:
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Tolerance
Reason
Freedom of religious belief
Freedom of speech
“I do not agree with a word
you say but will defend to the
death your right to say it.”
Montesqieu
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Believed Britain was the
best-governed and most
politically balanced country
of his own day.
Proposed the “separation
of powers” between
executive, legislative, and
judicial branches of
government.
Proposed “checks and
balances.”
Cesare Bonesana Beccaria
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Beliefs
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Laws existed to preserve
social order, not avenge
crime.
Accused should receive
speedy trials.
Torture should never be used.
Degree of punishment should
match seriousness of crime.
Capital punishment (death
penalty) should be abolished.
Mary Wollstonecraft
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Women should be equally
educated along with men.
Women should enter
professions traditionally
dominated by men like
medicine and politics.
Wrote A Vindication of
the Rights of Woman
Why is this important?
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Many of our own ideas
about government, such
as the Declaration of
Independence and the
American Constitution got
their ideas directly from
the Enlightenment.
In fact, many of America’s
founding fathers studied
the ideas of the
Enlightenment thinkers
during the American
Revolution.
Left to right: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson
ENLIGHTENMENT
Lets look at a couple samples of how questions look on the OGT that
will test your knowledge of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment philosophers such
as John Locke and Jean-Jacques
Rousseau challenged the idea of
the divine right of kings. They wrote
about a government’s obligations to
uphold people’s rights and how the
government should be based on
the consent of the governed.
These new ideas encouraged
people to
A. remain firm in their
support of absolute
monarchs.
B. look for leaders who
would exercise
dictatorial powers.
C. engage in revolutions to
establish democratic
governments.
D. call for church leaders
to create theocracies
and replace the
monarchies.
ENLIGHTENMENT
Lets look at a couple samples of how questions look on the OGT that
will test your knowledge of the Enlightenment
A. free markets based on
supply and demand
Natural law was a fundamental idea
of the Enlightenment.
Which concept is an application of
natural law to the government’s role
in the economic lives of its citizens?
B. government control to
achieve a favorable balance
of trade
C. agriculture based on tenant
farming and serfdom
D. lower taxes on the most
privileged groups in society
ENLIGHTENMENT
Lets look at a couple samples of how questions look on the OGT that
will test your knowledge of the Enlightenment
During the Enlightenment, a
number of writers explored the
relationship between governments
and the people they governed. For
example, Rousseau wrote The
Social Contract, in which he
examined ideas about
majority will and the common good.
How did these ideas influence the
American and French Revolutions?
A. They encouraged loyalty to
established governments.
B. They supported movements
for social and political
change.
C. They encouraged the
formation of American and
French constitutional
monarchies.
D. They supported the efforts of
governments to maintain
control over their subjects.