Ch. 17 The Enlightenment

And American Revolution

Ch. 17.1

The Age of Reason

The Scientific RevolutionTransformed the way people in Europe looked at the world.Educated Europeans became convinced of the power of human reason.Definition of Natural Law: rules discoverable by reason, govern scientific forces such as gravity and magnetism. Natural Law are Rules discoverable by reason that Enlightenment thinkers tried to apply to the study of human behavior and society.

EnlightenmentRevolution in thinking prompted by the scientific revolution, in which people began to think for themselves and to apply reason to every aspect of life. Before this most people did not think for themselves and looked to the church or their state for direction on how to live, and how and what to think.

Reason- the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways.

One of the first to describe this era the word “Enlightenment” was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant.

Immanuel KantGerman philosopher best known for his work The Critique of Pure Reason.He was skeptical of the power of Reason.But like most European philosophers believed that natural law could help explain aspects of humanity.

Thomas HobbesOutlined his ideas in a worked titled LeviathanLived through the upheavals of the Glorious Revolution.Believed all people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish.

And that if people were not strictly controlled they would fight, rob and opress one another.

Social Contract:an agreement by which people give up their freedom for an organized society.Due to his beliefs on human nature and the need for a strict source of control he thought an absolute Monarch was the best form of government.

John LockeWrote Two Treatises of Government. Believed all people were basically reasonable & moral.Natural Rights:Rights that belong to all humans from birth.

These include the right to life, liberty & property.Believed people formed governments to protect their natural Rights.

Radical New Ideas from LockeIn Locke’s opinion the best form of government had limited power & was accepted by all citizens. A radical idea he presented was that the government had an obligation to the people it governed.

If a government were to fail to meet these obligations or violates people’s Natural Rights. Then the people have the right to overthrow that government.

PhilosophesPhilosophes: A group of Enlightenment thinkers who applied the methods of science to understand and improve society.

Believed that the use of reason could lead to reforms in government, law & society.

Baron de MontesquieuWrote Spirit of the LawsStudied the governments of Europe & harshly critiqued absolute monarchs.Felt the best way to protect liberty was to divide the various functions and powers of government into three branches. The legislative, executive & judicial.

He is the origin of the idea of checks & balances.

VoltaireHe said “My trade is to say what I think”With his pen he battled inequality, injustice & superstition.He was detested the slave trade & deplored religious prejudice.Despite being imprisoned, forced into exile and seeing his books burned and banned he continued to defend the principle of Freedom of Speech.

DiderotProduced a 28 volume set of books called Encyclopedia.His purpose was to “change the general way of thinking” by explaining ideas on topics such as government, philosophy& religion.It helped to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment.

Jean-Jacques RousseauWrote The Social ContractBelieved people in their natural state were basically good, but that they were corrupted by the evils of society.Put his faith in the “general will” and believed the good of the community as a whole should be put before individual interests.

Women Challenge PhilosophesThe Enlightenment slogan “Free & Equal” did not apply to women.

Mary WollstonecraftWrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women.Believed a woman's first duty was to be a good mother but that a woman should be able to decide what was in her own interest without depending on her husband.She called for equal education of boys and girls because it was the only way to give women the tools they needed to participate equally with men in public life.

New Economic ThinkingPhysiocrats focused on economic reforms and based their thinking on natural laws.

They rejected mercantilism & favored Laissez Faire.Laissez Faire: allowed businesses to operate with little or no government interference. Supported free trade rejected tariffs.

Adam SmithWrote The Wealth of NationsArgued that a free market should be allowed to regulate business activity. Believed that in a free market business activity would be regulated by supply & demand.He was a strong supporter of laissez Faire. However, he felt government had a duty to protect society, administer justice & provide public works.

Ch. 17.2

Enlightenment Ideas Spread

Challenging the Old OrderParis, France was considered the heart of the Enlightenment.Enlightenment challenged the old ways of thinking, ideas such as those below now seemed illogical and wrong.

Divine RightStrict Class SystemsBelief in Heavenly reward for earthly suffering

CensorshipMost government and church authorities felt that had a sacred duty to protect the old order because they felt it had been set up by God.To do this they waged a war of censorship, or restricting access to ideas and information.They banned and burned books and imprisoned or exiled writers.

Avoiding CensorshipTo avoid censorship many writers and philosophes disguised their ideas in works of fiction.Motesquieu used 2 fictional Persian travelers to mock French society in Persian Letters.Voltaire in his satirical novel Candide, the hero travels across Europe, the middle east and even to the Americas in search of “The best of all possible worlds”.

He uses the tale to expose the corruption and hypocrisy of European society.

SalonsOriginated in the 1600’s when a few noble women in Paris invited friends over for poetry readings. Informal social gatherings in which writers, philosophes, artists and others exchanged ideas.

From Grandeur to Charm: Baroque to Rococo

Baroque was a grand ornate style from the age of Louis XIV.

The paintings were huge, colorful and full of excitement.Often depicting glorifications of battles or the lives of saints

Rococo was the style of the age of Louis XV.

Paintings were lighter, elegant and charming.It moved away from religion and portrayed royalty in rural settings rather than the lush settings found in Baroque paintings.

Baroque Vs. Rococo

Baroque Vs. Rococo

Enlightenment Inspires Composers

As with art, the enlightenment inspired a transition in music as well.A new elegant style known as “Classical” developed.The elegant compositions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reflected the new Classical style.

Fredrick II “Fredrick the Great”King of Prussia from 1740-1786.Exerted tight control over his subjects but saw himself as “The first servant of the state” with a duty to work for the common good.Praised Voltaire's work, allowed a free press, welcomed victims of religious persecution and said “In my kingdom, everyone can go to heaven in his own fashion.”

Catherine the Great Empress of RussiaExchanged letters with Voltaire and Diderot.Believed in liberty and equality.Established religious tolerance, expanded the empire and abolished torture.

Joseph IIEmperor of Austria.Traveled in disguise to learn the problems of his people.Abolished serfdom, established freedom of press and religion.

Ch. 17.3

Birth of the American Republic

The Declaration of IndependenceWritten primarily by Thomas Jefferson during the second continental congress in 1776.Declared Independence from Britain.It reflects Locke’s idea that the government as an obligation to protect peoples rights to “life, liberty and property”.Also includes Locke’s idea of Popular Sovereignty. Was adopted on July 4, 1776.Whose Ideas are reflected in the Declaration of Independence?

Enlightenment Ideas in the Declaration of Independence

Popular SovereigntyLocke’s idea of the governments obligation to protect the people’s natural rights to “Life, liberty and property”.

Popular SovereigntyStates that all government power comes from the people.It is based on one of Locke’s ideas that the people have the right to “alter or to abolish” unjust governments. Was an important point in the Declaration of Independence.

The ConstitutionThe Constitution became the supreme law of the land in 1789.It is the central document in the social contract between the government and “We the people of the United States of America”Created a Federal Republic with separation of powers. (Checks & Balances; whose idea?)Created the most progressive government of its day.Was heavily influenced by Enlightenment ideas.

Federal RepublicWas created in the ConstitutionDivided power between federal and state governments. Also divided power among the executive, legislative and judicial branches. (Who inspired this?)

Bill of RightsAre the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.They were important to the passage of the constitution.Recognized that people had basic rights that the government must protect such as: Freedom of religion, speech and press.Also reflected the ideas of the Enlightenment.