1 2 3 4 5 1 2 The Enlightenment & Age Of Reason The Scientific Revolution Sparked The Enlightenment The Scientific Revolution, which began around the mid-1500s & continued throughout the 1700s, led to new scientific ideas & breakthroughs These scientific successes convinced educated Europeans of the power of human reason Discovery of Natural Laws led to the Enlightenment People believed they could use reason to solve social problems Major thinkers of the Scientific Revolution Galileo Newton Enlightenment Thinkers Hobbes (1588-1679) 6 7 8 9 10 11 Believed in a social contract, in which people give power to the government for an organized society Believed people were naturally greedy & cruel Only a powerful government could ensure order Favored an absolute monarchy, that would rule with an iron fist to maintain an orderly society Thomas Hobbes & his book Leviathan John Locke (1632-1704) Believed people were basically good People had 3 natural rights life, liberty, & property People formed governments to protect their natural rights Government should have limited power It is the government s job to protect people s rights If the government fails to protect people s natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow the government and create a new one Thomas Jefferson used Locke s ideas as the basis for the Declaration of Independence John Locke Montesquieu (1689-1755) Believed the best way to protect people s liberty was to divide the government into 3 branches legislative, executive, & judicial Known as separation of powers Each branch of government served as a check on the other two braches, known as checks & balances This kept any individual or group from gaining total control of the government Montesquieu Separation of Powers 1
12 Checks and Balances each branch keeps an eye on the other branches 13 14 15 16 17 18 Voltaire (1694-1778) Criticized powerful institutions for being unjust Attacked corrupt governments & inequality Supported freedom of speech & religion Our first amendment rights are based on Voltaire s ideas Voltaire Rousseau (1712-1788) Believed people were basically good Wrote The Social Contract, in which he stated people agree to give up some of their freedom in favor of the common good Government should be formed through the agreement of free individuals He was against political & economic controls Advocated the will of the majority, or the general will of the people for true liberty Believed all people are created equal, so no need for nobles of kings Rousseau Natural Laws Created Laissez Faire Economics 19 20 21 Laissez Faire allowed business to operate with little or no government interference, known as a free market economy Adam Smith was the leader in Laissez Faire economics Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, where he stated that free market should be allowed to regulate business activities Smith believed the market would be more productive without government regulations Smith also believed that the economy was based on supply and demand Laissez Faire shaped economies in the 1800s & 1900S Adam Smith & his book The Wealth of Nations The Spread of Enlightenment Ideas Diderot s Encyclopedia collected articles & letters from Enlightenment thinkers Salons were social gatherings where Enlightenment thinkers & wealthy patrons of the arts met Courts of monarchs Small pamphlets 22 Diderot & his Encyclopedia 2
23 The Salons 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Censorship of Enlightenment Ideas Some government & church officials engaged in censorship, burning books & imprisoning writers, to restrict access to enlightenment ideas, because these ideas threatened their power Writers, such as Voltaire, disguised their ideas in works of fiction Arts & Literature Reflected New Ideas Rococo, an art & musical style which was lighter, more elegant & charming, replaced the grand, complex style of Baroque Artists such as Bach, Haydn, & Mozart made more elegant music Musical performances became more affordable for the middle class There was an outpouring of novels in the 1700s Novels, such as Robinson Crusoe, were long works of fiction & became popular with middle-class readers Bach Mozart as a child prodigy Mozart Mozart s Marriage of Figaro was a popular opera 31 32 Robinson Crusoe 33 34 35 36 37 Enlightened Despots Embraced New Ideas Absolute rulers who accepted enlightenment ideas & used their power to bring about political & social change Frederick The Great King of Prussia Reduced the use of torture Allowed free press & tolerated religious differences Called himself first servant of the state Made Prussian government more efficient Reorganized the government s civil service and simplified laws Frederick The Great Catherine the Great Czarina of Russia Believed in equality & liberty 3
38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 Reformed Russian law & government Abolished torture Criticized the institution of serfdom Catherine The Great Joseph II Emperor of Austria Modernized Austria s government Promoted religious tolerance Abolished serfdom Allowed freedom of the press Worked to improve peasants way of life Joseph II Change was slow for most Europeans because peasants lived in small rural villages & their culture was based on centuries-old traditions, like serfdom The American Revolution The Declaration of Independence & The U.S. Constitution Colonists Expressed Discontent With England When George III became king of Great Britain in 1760, he decided to reassert the powers of the crown King George III wanted the American colonists to pay higher taxes for the French & Indian War (Seven Years War) Parliament passed new taxes, such as the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, which imposed taxes on written items like pamphlets & newspapers, taxes on tea, which only the colonists had to pay Tensions increased with the Boston Massacre & Boston Tea Party The Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia to decide on what action to take King George III of England Stamp Act Stamp Boston Massacre Boston Tea Party Continental Congress in Philadelphia Independence Hall where the Continental Congress met 4
52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 The Declaration of Independence Was adopted on July 4, 1776 Primarily written by Thomas Jefferson Reflects Locke s ideas of the government s obligation to protect people s natural rights of life, liberty, & property property is changed to the pursuit of happiness All men are created equal & have natural rights to life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness It s the government s obligation to protect these rights If the government fails to protect these rights, the people could abolish it & create a new government Principle of popular sovereignty government s power comes from the people Lists grievances against King George III & England Because King George III had violated their natural rights, the colonists had a right to rebel & set up a new government Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence Ben Franklin, John Adams, & Thomas Jefferson working on the Declaration We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The Presentation of the Declaratation to Congress The U.S. Archives George Mason Memorial in Washington, D.C. All men are born equally free and independent and have certain inherent natural rights Among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. A New Constitution Framers of the Constitution used the ideas of Locke, Montesquieu & Rousseau Government was a social contract We the people of the United States (Locke & Rousseau) Set up a federal republic power is divided between the federal, or national government and the states U.S. Constitution 5
64 The Preamble 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Signing of the Constitution New Government Was Based On Separation Of Powers Montesquieu s idea of separation of powers provided checks & balances Government was divided into three branches Legislative (Congress) which made the laws, Executive (President), who enforced the laws, & Judicial (Courts), who interpreted the laws Enlightenment Ideas Influence the U.S. Constitution Checks and balances Separation of power- government is divided into three branches Government s authority comes from the people Guaranteed individual rights Montesquieu Separation of Powers U.S. Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the Constitution Bill of Rights gave people basic rights that the government must protect Rights included freedom of speech Freedom of religion Due process of law Right to bear arms No cruel and unusual punishments U.S. Bill of Rights- First Ten Amendments To The Constitution 1 st : Guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition 2 nd : Right to bear arms 3 rd : Prohibits quartering of troops in private homes 4 th : Protects from unreasonable searches and seizures 5 th : No punishment without due process of law 6 th : Right to a speedy and public trial in the state where the offense was committed 7 th : Right to jury trial for civil cases if over $20 8 th : Prohibits excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments 9 th : Civil rights are not restricted to those specified by these amendments 10 th : Powers not granted to the national government belong to the states and to the 6
73 74 people U.S. Bill of Rights 7