G. the upshot of English politics 1. As representatives of the people, Parliament had the right to...

G. the upshot of English politics

1. As representatives of the people, Parliament had the right to choose rulers

2. English Declaration of Rights, 1689

- written rules limiting power of Monarchy

3. Toleration Act, 1688

- Religious freedom

E. Justifying the Glorious Revolution and the “beginning” of the Enlightenment

John Locke

II. The Enlightenment

Review Sessions

• Wed., Feb. 4 - 3:00 pm HUMB 114» Rebecca

• Wed., Feb. 4 - 5:00 pm HUMB 116» Angie

• Thurs., Feb. 5 - 7:30 pm HUMB 360?» Bob

D. Enlightenment and Rational Government

1. Locke - Two Treatises on Government

2. Montesquieu - The Spirit of the LawsThe Spirit of the Laws, 1748

a. each type of government has a spirit

b. govt.’s need checks/balances

c. justice must be blind

4. Jefferson - Declaration of Independence

3. Rousseau, The Social Contract

justice achieved when needs of people balanced

with legitimate powers of government

So where does this bring us…?

The Age of Revolutions?• English develop concepts of Natural Rights

• Philosophes critical of authority for tradition’s sake

• society can be built on secular/rational values

• the quality of a government should reflect the quality of its people

III. Empire of Reason: the American Revolution

A. Extensive Revolution1. Began as defense of “property rights”

a. Seven Years War , 1756-63

b. end of “benign neglect”

2. “conservative” leadership

a. North: merchants, lawyers

b. South: planters

B. Intensive Revolution

1. “Rights of Englishmen” threatened

a. Proclamation of 1763

b. decline in eligible voters

2. Leaders turn anger against British

Sam Adams Patrick Henry

3. Liberty

Declaration of Independence,

- Jefferson

“Give me Liberty, or give me death”

- Henry

Thomas Paine, Common Sense

C. Unintended consequences

1. “The spirit of Liberty has spread where it was not intended to go…”

2. Decline in deference

3. Rise of the “new men”

The Spirit of ‘76

4. Articles of Confederation, 1775-1789

dominated by states, new men

5. Pennsylvania State Constitution

“stay laws”

6. Shays’ Rebellion, 1786-87

D. the Counter-revolution

1. Competing definitions of “liberty”

2. The U.S. Constitutional Convention, 1787

3. Balancing property rights v. economic opportunity

- slavery approved

- the Bill of Rights

James Madison

E. The Great Experiment

1. Republic of Enlightenment virtues

2. Republic of enlightened self-interest

liberty = the right of free (white) men to

control their own economic, political

destiny

Liberty not made universal