Chapter 17: The Enlightenment and American Revolution Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason...
-
Upload
paula-stewart -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of Chapter 17: The Enlightenment and American Revolution Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason...
Chapter 17: The Enlightenment and American Revolution
Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Scientific Revolution Sparks the Enlightenment
The Scientific Revolution changed the way Europeans viewed the world
Educated Europeans lived by natural laws: discovered by reason
They studied human behavior to solve societal problems
This evolved into the revolution in thinking known as the Enlightenment
Hobbes and Locke have conflicting views Both of these men were key Enlightenment
thinkers Thomas Hobbes believed in a powerful
government to control people in their natural state
He believed in the Social Contract and in an Absolute Monarchy
In contrast, John Locke believed people were basically good and had natural rights
Locke rejected Absolute Monarchy and favored Democracy
He also believed in the right of the people to overthrow the government if it fails them
His ideas would have an effect on the American Revolution
The Philosophes Some Enlightenment Thinkers applied science to
improve society They believed that the use of reason could
reform all areas of society Baron de Montesquieu studied world
governments and was critical of Absolute Monarchs
In his book The Spirit of the Laws, he argues that the best governments are divided into different branches
(legislative, executive and judicial) Vocab pg 544, 3-5 pg 548
Montesquieu also believed in checks and balances
The most famous philosophe was Voltaire He believed in saying what he thought Despite being exiled by the government and the
Church, he defended the principle of free speech
Denis Diderot produced a set of books called the Encyclopedia
They contained articles by leading thinkers of the day
They were criticized by the government and the church
Despite this, the Encyclopedia influenced Europe and the Americas
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that people were naturally good, but corrupted by society
He believed that government should be freely elected, but place controls on people (Social Contract)
Philosophes argued that women had natural rights, but were limited to home and family
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women which argued for the rights of women
New Economic Thinking Economic thinkers were known as physiocrats They believed in a natural law of economics They were anti mercantilist, and favored laissez
faire They supported free trade and were opposed to
tariffs Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations He believed that all aspects of the economy
were fueled by supply and demand He believed in Laissez Faire but believed in
strong governments to protect the citizens
Section 2: Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Enlightenment thinkers found traditional beliefs flawed
The Challenge of New Ideas
All levels of society accepted Enlightenment ideas
Middle-class men met in coffeehouses to discuss new ideas
People began to challenge old ways and wanted to achieve a just society
Pre-enlightenment thinking included
divine right rule
strict class system
heavenly reward for earthly suffering
Post Enlightenment thinking included material well being social justice happiness in this world Enlightenment thinking alarmed both the
Church and the government who believed the old system was put there by God
They began a policy of censorship Despite this Enlightenment writers found ways
to get published Enlightenment thinkers gathered in salons to
share their ideas Salons became places where even women
could share ideas
Enlightened Despots Enlightened Despots were absolute rulers who
used their power to bring about political and social change
Some of these rulers included: Frederick the Great Catherine the Great Joseph II Despite their reforms, these rulers, except
Joseph, maintained absolute power The Arts and Literature Like the rest of society, artists adapted to
changing times
Changes in art, music and literature all reflected the changing mood of society and were opened up to all members of society
Lives of the Majority In western Europe peasant life improved during
the Enlightenment Despite some change, some serfdom survived Vocab pg 550, 3-6 pg 555
Section 3: Birth of the American Republic Britain Becomes a Global Power Several reasons Britain was a global force: -location -climate -most dominate country in Europe -offered free trade with few restrictions King George III re-affirmed royal power and
gave seats in parliament to friends The Colonies in the Mid 1700’s The colonies were very prosperous for Britain They were beginning to develop their own
distinct culture from Britain however
Colonists Express Discontent King George III believed the colonists should
help pay for Britain's costly wars These taxes led to the phrase “no taxation
without representation” Tensions began to elevate between the colonists
and Britain -Boston Massacre -Boston Tea Party Eventually in 1776 the Colonists declare their
independence from England The Declaration of Independence contained key
elements from European Enlightenment thinkers
The American Revolution ContinuesColonists were well outmatched by BritainThey had some advantages however: -geography -determination -Help from FranceEventually in 1781 the colonists prevail and
win the warTreaty of Paris officially ends the warBritain was forced to recognize the
independence of the United StatesVocab pg 557, 3-6 pg 563