Chapter 17

Revolution and Enlightenment

1550 A.D. – 1800 A.D.

Key Events• The ideas of the Scientific Revolution and

the Enlightenment laid the foundation for a modern worldview based on rationalism and secularism

• Enlightenment thought led some rulers to advocate such natural rights as equality before the law and freedom of religion

• The American colonies formed a new nation and ratified the Constitution of the United States

The Impact Today• Scientists use research techniques that

are based on the scientific method• The intellectuals of the Enlightenment

advocated the rights of the individual, paving the way for the rise of democracy

• Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers strongly influenced the writing of the Constitution of the United States

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“Galileo on Trial”

Section 1

The Scientific

Revolution

Background to the Revolution• In the Middle Ages, educated

Europeans relied on Aristotle for their scientific knowledge

• In the 15th and 16th centuries natural philosophers developed new views. They had access to newly discovered works by Ptolemy, Archimedes, and Plato that had disagreed with Aristotle.

A Revolution in Astronomy• Discoveries in astronomy

were especially significant in the Scientific Revolution.

• These new discoveries would overturn the conception of the universe held by Westerners in the Middle Ages.

The Ptolemaic System• The Ptolemaic system was a

geocentric system, the Earth is motionless.

• God was at one end of the Universe, in Heaven, and the humans at its center were trying to get to Heaven from Earth.

Ptolemaic Universe (Geocentric)

Copernicus and Kepler• Copernicus’s heliocentric belief

went against everything the Catholic Church believed, the sun was the center, not the Earth.

• Johannes Kepler determined that the orbits of the planets around the sun were not circular, but elliptical.

Copernican Universe (Heliocentric)

Galileo and Newton• Galileo used the telescope to

make additional discoveries:–Mountains on the Moon– Four moons revolving around Jupiter– Sunspots

• Newton defined the 3 laws of motion that govern the planetary bodies (as well as objects on earth)

• Newton developed the universal law of gravitation

Women and the Origins of Modern Science

• Many women were involved in science, especially in astronomy

• However, it was still difficult for women to be accepted (and gain employment) as most people still believed a woman’s domestic duties came first and foremost.

Descartes and Reason• Rene Descartes emphasized the

belief that it was through reason, and not science, that humanity found true knowledge.

• “I think, therefore I am” – Descartes first principle

The Scientific Method• Scientists could develop and test

hypotheses to determine truth.

• Theories led scientists to use a type of inductive reasoning.

• Created of the scientific method (A systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence)

Section 2The

Enlightenment

Path to the Enlightenment• The enlightenment was an 18th

century philosophical movement of intellectuals who were greatly impressed with the achievements of the Scientific Revolution.

• They wanted to make progress toward a better society than the one they had inherited.

• Reason, natural law, hope, progress – were common words to the thinkers of the Enlightenment.

Path to the Enlightenment (Continued)

• John Locke believed that every human was born with a tabula rasa “blank slate” and that it was the individual experiences in life that shaped his/her growth.

• Locke believed if environments were changed and people were exposed to the right influences, then people could be changed and a new society created.

• Isaac Newton was also an influence on Enlightenment.

Montesquieu and “Separation of Powers”

• A French noble, Montesquieu, identified 3 basic kinds of governments:– Republics, Despotism, and Monarchies

• England had a separation of powers – Executive, Legislative, and Judicial powers of government.

Voltaire and “Deism”• Voltaire believed that the world was

established/created by a “mechanical god” that made the world, and then left it alone to exist according to natural laws (truth, knowledge, reason, freedom).

• Voltaire believed in religious toleration.

Economics• The physiocrats (A French group) and

Adam Smith (Scottish philosopher) are considered the founders of modern economics

• The physiocrats maintained that if individuals were free to pursue their own economic self-interest, all society would benefit.

• This becomes known as laissez-faire

Jean-Jacques Rousseau• A philosopher who’s most famous

work was The Social Contract (Published in 1762).

• The social contract as proposed by Roussea:• An entire society agrees to be governed by its general will, and all individuals should be forced to abide by the general will since it represents what is best for the entire community

Rights of Women• Mary Wollstonecraft is the founder of

the modern European and American movement for women’s rights.

• The power of men over women is as wrong as the power of monarchs over their subjects.

• Equal rights in education, as well as in economic and political life.

Section 3

The Impact of the

Enlightenment

Enlightenment Politics• Enlightenment philosophies

believed in natural rights for all people–Equality before the law–Freedom of religious worship–Freedom of speech–Freedom of the press–Right to assemble, hold property, and

pursue happiness

Enlightened Absolutism• Many historians assumed that a

new type of monarchy emerged in the later 18th century• In the system of enlightened

absolutism, rulers tried to govern by enlightenment principles while maintaining their royal powers• Did Europe’s rulers actually

follow this system?...

Enlightenment Rulers (1700’s)• Joseph II (Austrian Empire)• Frederick II/Frederick the Great

(Prussia/Germany)• Catherine II/Catherine the Great

(Russia)• Of the above rulers only Joseph II

sought radical changes based on Enlightenment

• Frederick and Catherine talked of and attempted some reforms

War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748)

• Fought in 3 areas of the world:1) Europe – Prussia seized Silesia

while France occupied the Austrian Netherlands

2) Far East – France took Madras in India from the British

3) North America – British captured the French fortress of Louisbourg (St. Lawrence river entrance)

Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763)• France, Austria, and Russia vs.

Great Britain and Prussia• Three Major areas of conflict:1) Europe – Stalemate ends in 17632) India – British defeat French

(Treaty of Paris 1763)3) North America – Victory for the

British. By 1763, Great Britain had become the world’s greatest colonial power

Section 4

Colonial Empires and the American

Revolution

British and British North America• United Kingdom of Great Britain

came into existence in 1707 – Governments of England and Scotland were united.

• By 1763, Great Britain controlled Canada as well as 13 colonies in eastern U.S. (Heavily populated)

The American Revolution• After the Seven Years’ War, British

leaders wanted to get revenue from the colonies in the form of taxes

• Fighting erupts between American colonists and the British army in April 1775 (Lexington and Concord)

• July 4, 1776 – Declaration of Independence

• Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized the independence of the American colonies

The Birth of a New Nation• Articles of Confederation

approved in 1781• In the Summer of 1787, fifty-five

delegates met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles (Constitutional Convention)

• The new Constitution was eventually approved

• Bill of Rights(first 10 Amendments) approved in 1789

Chapter 12Revolution and

Enlightenment

Wrap Up and Review

Key Events (Re-visited)• The ideas of the Scientific Revolution and

the Enlightenment laid the foundation for a modern worldview based on rationalism and secularism

• Enlightenment thought led some rulers to advocate such natural rights as equality before the law and freedom of religion

• The American colonies formed a new nation and ratified the Constitution of the United States

The Impact Today (Re-visited)

• Scientists use research techniques that are based on the scientific method

• The intellectuals of the Enlightenment advocated the rights of the individual, paving the way for the rise of democracy

• Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers strongly influenced the writing of the Constitution of the United States