Chapter 6: Enlightenment and Revolution 1550-1789
Chapter 6Section 1The Scientific Revolution
Roots of Modern Science: The Medieval Viewo During the Middle
Ages, most scholars believed Earth was immobile and at the center of the universe
o This was called the geocentric theory
o Came from Aristotle, and reinforced by the Bible
A New Way of Thinking
Beginning in the 1500’s, the Scientific Revolution came about
New way of thinking about the natural world
Age of Exploration and printing press helped expand this
The Heliocentric Theory
Nicolaus Copernicus became interested in an old Greek idea that the sun was at center of universe
He developed the Heliocentric, or sun-centered, theory in 1500’s
Johannes Kepler confirmed this theory in 1601
Galileo’s Discoveries
Italian scientist named Galileo Galilei built on the new astronomy theories
Built his own telescope and published findings
Supported Copernicus’s theories
Conflict with the Church Catholic and Protestant
leaders were opposed to Galileo
After publishing his findings, the pope summoned Galileo to stand trial
He confessed that Copernicus’s ideas were false
He lived under house arrest and died in 1642
The Scientific Method
Logical procedure to gathering and testing ideas
Question> Hypothesis> Experiment> Conclusion
Bacon and Descartes
Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes helped develop the Scientific Method
Bacon urged scientists to experiment fist and draw conclusions later
Descartes believed everything should be doubted until proven true
Newton Explains Law of Gravity
In 1687, Isaac Newton publishes his theory of gravity
The law of universal gravitation says every object in the universe attracts each other
Scientific Instruments
Microscope invented in 1590 by Zacharias Janssen, a Dutch eyeglass maker
Gabriel Fahrenheit invented first mercury thermometer- showed freezing at 32º
Anders Celsius used another scale- showed freezing at 0º
Medicine and the Human Body Most Medieval doctors
followed teachings of ancient Greek physician, Galen
In 1543, Flemish physician Andreas Vesalius proved Galen wrong after dissecting human corpses
In late 1700’s British physician Edward Jenner invented smallpox vaccine
Discoveries in Chemistry Robert Boyle is
considered the founder of modern chemistry
He said matter is composed of smaller primary particles that join together in different ways
Boyle’s Law explains how the volume, temperature, and pressure of gas affect each other
Chapter 6Section 2The Enlightenment in Europe
The Enlightenment
Came in the wake of the Scientific Revolution
New intellectual movement that stressed reason, thought and the power of the individual
Hobbes’s Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes argued the Social Contract theory of government- that people handed over power to a ruler to escape anarchy
Hobbes believed in absolute rulers
Locke’s Natural Rights
John Locke believed people had the natural ability to govern themselves
Locke criticized monarchy and favored self-government
If the government is not just, people have right to overthrow it
The Philosophes Advocate Reason
The Enlightenment reached its height in France in mid-1700’s
Social critics of this time known as philosophes
Five concepts formed belief core
1. Reason
2. Nature
3. Happiness
4. Progress
5. Liberty
Voltaire Combats Intolerance Francois Marie
Arouet, AKA Voltaire, was a famous philosophe
Sent to prison in France twice and exiled to England for his teachings
Fought for tolerance, reason, and religious and personal freedom
Montesquieu
Baron de Montesquieu devoted himself to the study of political liberty
Proposed separation of government powers, or checks and balances
Became basis for US Constitution
Rousseau
Jean Jacques Rousseau was another philosophe
Believed that every man was born free and civilization corrupted him
Only believed in direct democracy
Inspired French Revolution
Beccaria
Cesare Bonesana Beccaria was an Italian philosophe
Argued for criminal justice and against torture
Thought capital punishment should be abolished
Women and the Enlightenment
Male philosophes were not in agreement about women’s place in society and education
Several female writers tried to improve the status of women
Mary Astell addressed the lack of education for women and marital equality
Mary Wollstonecraft argued for women’s education and for career opportunities
Emilie de Châtelet was an aristocrat trained as a mathematician and physicist
Legacy of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment writers challenged long-held beliefs about divine right of monarchs, union of church and state, and inequality
Theories inspired American and French revolutions
Legacy of the Enlightenment Belief in progress-
growth in scientific knowledge and human potential
Secular outlook- people began to question beliefs and organized religion
Importance of the individual- people were encouraged to use reason to judge right from wrong
Chapter 6Section 3The Enlightenment Spreads
A World of Ideas
In the 1700’s, Paris was the cultural and intellectual capital of Europe
Philosophers, artists, writers, and scientists would meet in salons- the drawing rooms of several wealthy women of Paris
Diderot’s Encyclopedia Denis Diderot
created a large set of books to which many leading scholars contributed articles and essays
France and the Catholic church banned the Encyclopedia, but it continued to be published and spread
Neoclassical Artistic Style
European art of 1600’s and early 1700’s had been dominated by a style called baroque- done with grand, ornate designs
Under the Enlightenment, the neoclassical style emerged- simple and elegant
Changes in Music and Literature
During the Enlightenment, a new style called classical emerged
Artists such as Mozart and Beethoven created a new lighter sound
Writers began to write novels, lengthy works of fiction
Became extremely popular with the middle classes
Enlightenment and Monarchy
Many philosophes tried to convince monarchs to rule justly
Monarchs who embraced this were called enlightened despots
They supported these new ideas, but did not want to give up power
Frederick the Great
King of Prussia from 1740-1786
Granted religious freedoms, reduced censorship, and improved education
Called himself, “First servant of the state”
Joseph II Son of Maria
Theresa, ruled Austria from 1780-1790
Introduced legal reform, freedom of religion, and freedom of press
Abolished serfdom and ordered peasants must be paid
Catherine the Great
Ruled Russia from 1762-1796
Read works of philosophes and corresponded with Voltaire
Put in place limited reforms, but ignored Russian peasants
Catherine expanded Russia vastly during her reign
Chapter 6Section 4The American Revolution
Britain and the American Colonies
During the 1700’s the population of the colonies grew hugely
Great Britain and the colonies had a relatively peaceful relationship during the early 1700’s, despite various British trade restrictions
French and Indian War
In 1754, war erupted between Great Britain and France over North America
In 1763, Great Britain won and the victory benefitted both them and the colonies
Stamp Act
Great Britain expected the colonists to help pay debts from war
They enacted a stamp tax- a tax on printed material
Colonists were outraged over “taxation without representation”
Growing Hostility Leads to War
Hostilities increased over the next decade
In 1773, colonists angry over an import tax on tea, dumped a load of tea into Boston Harbor
King George III ordered the navy to close the port of Boston
In 1774, The First Continental Congress formed to protest
On April 19,1775, the first shot was fired at Lexington and Concord
The Influence of the Enlightenment
Colonial leaders used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence
July 4, 1776- Second Continental Congress issued Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson
Document firmly based on John Locke’s ideas for natural rights
Success for the Colonists How did the American
colonists defeat the most powerful country in the world?
1. Motivation to fight
2. Overconfident British generals
3. War was very expensive for the British
4. France entered war in 1778 and helped win
Americans Create a Republic
First central government was under the Articles of Confederation
Purposefully weak, and only consisting of a Congress
The national government began to have problems regulating the states and raising money without a power to tax
A New Constitution
Recognizing the need for a stronger government, Congress approved a Constitutional Convention in 1787
The 55 delegates used thinking from the Enlightenment and compromise to write a new constitution
The Federal System The delegated
distrusted a government run by one person or group
They established three branches of government- legislative, executive, and judicial
This provided for checks and balances
The Bill of Rights
The Constitution was signed in 1787, but still required approval of all 13 states
Some delegates were concerned that the government had too much power
Congress added the 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights to give the people more power