The Enlightenment

Introduction to the Age of the Enlightenment

18th Century Europe

England and France

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE LIGHTBULB REPRESENTS?

Defining the Enlightenment

Age of Reason(18th century Enlightenment)

Natural laws apply to government as well as science!

Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property

A FAIR society is based on REASON, not “Divine Right”

The Age of Reason• Scientific Revolution convinced many European

thinkers about power of reason

• Scientific method and reason led to discoveries about physical world

• Wondered if reason could be used to study human nature, society

• New generation of philosophers, 1600s

• Viewed reason as best way to understand truth

• Concluded reason could be used to solve all human problems

• This time of optimism now called the Enlightenment

THE ENLIGHTENMENT OCCURRED B/W 1650 -1789

Thinkers believed reason could be used to uncover the laws that govern human life

Once the laws were known people could make society better

Believed that reason was a much better guide than faith or tradition

Reason is the “light” that reveals human error and showed the way to truth

• What society worked best?• Why were laws unjust?• How did the universe operate?• Was there a God?• Was the Earth really 4,000 years old?• Were there natural laws that

governed people?• Who had the power to rule?• How did the human mind work?

Defining The Age of Enlightenment

• A period of intellectual exchange in Europe during the 18th century

• Belief in the idea of “progress”

• A desire for political and social change

Defining the Enlightenment

• These thinkers believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny and to build a better world.

Pair-Share

• For the Symbol Column, what would be THREE different ideas for symbols for the Enlightenment?

• Discuss and choose the one you like best.

• Draw it in.

Beliefs of the Enlightenment

Beliefs• Belief in Progress

– Through reason a better society was possible– through progress we would continue to expand our

knowledge in the sciences• Secular Outlook

– More worldly view of life– church is continuing to lose power – questioning of all church beliefs

• Importance Of the Individual – own ability to reason– importance of the in society– Individual achievement

Beliefs• Belief in the supremacy

of reason over pleasure; conviction that humans could perfect society through the application of the intellect to human affairs

• Science takes its place for the first time

Beliefs• The intellectuals of the Enlightenment

(called Philosophes)Philosophes) believed:

–The universe could be understood through reasonreason

–Everything in nature could be explained by natural lawsnatural laws—universal truths found through observation (Religion is not necessary to understand the world)

Beliefs

–The belief in progressprogress—the world can be improved upon & perfected

–People have natural rightsnatural rights—personal freedoms that allow people to enjoy libertyliberty (no restrictions on speech, religion, or the economy)

Central Concepts of the Central Concepts of the EnlightenmentEnlightenment

A. The methods of A. The methods of natural sciencenatural science should be used to understand all should be used to understand all aspects of life - through the use of aspects of life - through the use of REASONREASON

B. Discover the B. Discover the natural lawsnatural laws of human of human society as well as the natural world society as well as the natural world (“social science”)(“social science”)

C. The idea of C. The idea of progressprogress - The - The confidence in human power, human confidence in human power, human reason to improve societyreason to improve society

Central concepts of the Central concepts of the Enlightenment [cont]Enlightenment [cont]

D. Rejection of D. Rejection of superstitionsuperstition and and traditiontradition

E. E. ToleranceTolerance and and equalityequality

F. F. DeismDeism - God does not intervene in the - God does not intervene in the world through miracles; he created the world through miracles; he created the world, and then removed himself from world, and then removed himself from itit

Pair Share Activity*a period of intellectual growth

that led to the development of new ideas on society, government, philosophy, economics, and religion.

*marks the beginning of the modern world.

*Can be captured in the words of Immanuel Kant: “Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own understanding is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.”

• Turn to your partner and discuss:

• What do you think this motto means?

• Does this motto relate to our world today?

• Why or why not?

Why do you think the man is naked, out in nature, and also working on geometry

with the protractor?

Knowledge is Power!

• This year thus far we have learned about how the Catholic Church and Absolute Monarchs saw new ideas and education as threats to be suppressed. WHY?

• How does this tie in the Enlightenment?

Defining The Enlightenment• Principal targets:

Religion and the domination of society by hereditary aristocracy.

• In other words, the church and the state, who often worked hand-in-hand.

Major Enlightenment Ideas

• Every social, political and economic problem could be solved through the use of reason

• Governments are created to secure an orderly society

• Separation of powers is the best way to protect human liberties

• All men are created “free and equal”• A free market should be allowed to

regulate trade

Enlightenment ThinkersIn republican governments, men are

all equal; equal they are also in despotic governments: in the former, because they are everything; in the

latter, because they are nothing.

~Baron de Montesquieu The Spirit of Laws Bk. VI, Ch.2

The market price of every particular commodity is

regulated by the proportion between the quantity which is actually brought to

market, and the demand of those who are willing to pay the natural price of the commodity or the whole value of the

rent, labor and profit which must be paid in

order to bring it thither.

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The reason why men enter into society is the preservation of their property, and putting themselves

under government, is the preservation of their property.

~John Locke Second Treatise of Government ChXIX, “Of the Dissolution in Government”

Causes/Origins of the Enlightenment

Causes and Effects of the Enlightenment—America & Europe

• Causes– Religious Fanaticism– Witch trials– Beginning of a merchant

class—aka bourgeoisie– Landed Aristocracy– Monarchies– Church & State united– Church = Truth

• Effects– Deism—”natural law” – Rise of merchant class

—aka bourgeoisie– Science/Logic/Reason

= Truth– Rise of philosophers – Revolution x 3– The “perfect” society– Separation of Church &

State– Democracy

Causes: Influence of the Ancients and Medieval

Philosophers

Origins of the Enlightenment: Background in Antiquity

• The application of Aristotelian logic by Thomas Aquinas, Scholasticism, in the 13th century set the stage for the Enlightenment.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Ancients Used Logic to Defend

Dogma• Aristotle’s logical

procedures were used to defend the dogmas of Christianity.

• Unfortunately for the Catholic Church, the tools of logic could not be confined to Church matters.

Cause: Renaissance

Origins of the Enlightenment: Renaissance

• From sciences, ideas of nature surfaced- – study not only gravity or

the circulatory system, but also human behavior

• New sciences of psychology and politics were developed- – Social Sciences;

political science, geography, sociology, history, civics, economics, etc…

• Advocates of Enlightenment claim governing laws dictate human nature, society and politics

The Enlightenment—Early Forms

• Renaissance Humanists (14th & 15th cent.)– Argued that proper worship of God involved admiration of

his creation, notably His crown of creations: humanity.– Celebrating humans worships God better than gloomy

priests who preached original sin and repentance

• Galileo Galilei (1632)– Used logic and observation to argue that earth rotates

around sun– The Church (possessor of Truth) forced him to recant,

objecting that Bible clearly stated that the sun moved through the sky.

– Led to the advancement of science—Isaac Newton

Origins of the Enlightenment: The Renaissance Humanists

• In the 14th and 15th centuries, "humanists“ celebrated the human race and its capacities.

• They argued they were worshipping God more appropriately than the priests and monks who harped on original sin and asked people to humble themselves.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Renaissance Focused on Man’s

Creativity• Some of them claimed

that humans were like God, created not only in his image, but with a share of his creative power. The painter, the architect, the musician, and the scholar, by exercising their intellectual powers, were fulfilling divine purposes.

Renaissance Thinker• Michel de Montaigne (16th Century)

– Asked “What do I know?”– We have no right to impose other dogmas which

rest on cultural habit rather than absolute Truth– New World = new cultures

• Morals may be relative

– If we cannot be certain that our values are God-given, then we have no right to impose them by force on others

– Popes and kings had no right to enforce adherence to particular religious or philosophical beliefs

– Doubt is essential to science—test, challenge, ask—to get closer to truth. Authority is science’s enemy

Origins of the Enlightenment: Renaissance Challenged Church

Authority• In the 16th century,

various humanists had begun to ask dangerous questions.

• François Rabelais, a French monk and physician influenced by Protestantism, challenged the Church's authority, ridiculing many religious doctrines as absurd.

Cause: Scientific Revolution

“If I have seen farther than others,” said Newton, “it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” Who were the giants to whom Newton was referring? Could this be said of any scientific accomplishment? Explain.

Origins of the Enlightenment: The Scientific Revolution

1

Giants were Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo. Yes, scientific discoveries give scientists a clearer understanding of how the world works. New discoveries lead to further questions for investigation and more discoveries.

• During the Scientific Revolution, people began to believe that the scientific method allowed them to find answers to their questions

As a result, new ideas began in areas outside of science: Especially criticizing absolute

monarchy & think of new ideas about government

Scientific Revolution Leads to Enlightenment

• 1500-1700: European scientists using reason to discover laws of nature–Very successful: Planetary movements,

chemistry, vaccine for smallpox, etc.• Early 1700’s: If people used reason to

find laws that governed the physical world, why not use reason to discover natural laws?–Laws that govern human nature–Reformers begin studying human nature

and societal problems

Cause: Economic Changes

• Political & Economic Background– Wealth from Asia & Americas catapulted a new

class of merchants into prominence, partially displacing the aristocracy whose power had been rooted in land ownership

– These bourgeoisie had their own ideas about the world—main agents of change in the arts, government, and the economy

– Naturally convinced that their earnings were result of their individual merit and hard work

– Absolutist kings and dogmatic churches were the biggest obstacle to change for the merchant class

Origins of the Enlightenment: Economic Change

• During the late Middle Ages, peasants had begun to move from rural estates to the towns in search of increased freedom and prosperity.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Economic and

PoliticalChange• As trade and

communication improved during the Renaissance, the ordinary town-dweller began to realize that things need not always go on as they had for centuries. People could write new charters, form new governments, pass new laws, begin new businesses.

Cause: Social Changes

Origins of the Enlightenment: Economic and Social Changes

– Wealth from Asia & Americas catapulted a new class of merchants into prominence, partially displacing the aristocracy whose power had been rooted in land ownership

– These bourgeoisie had their own ideas about the world—main agents of change in the arts, government, and the economy

– Naturally convinced that their earnings were result of their individual merit and hard work

– Absolutist kings and dogmatic churches were the biggest obstacle to change for the merchant class

Origins of The Enlightenment: Social Class Changes

• Most important, the middle classes—the bourgeoisie—were painfully aware that they were paying taxes to support a fabulously expensive aristocracy that contributed nothing of value to society.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Social Class Changes

– They were naturally convinced that their earnings were the result of their individual merit and hard work, unlike the inherited wealth of aristocrats.

– The ability of individual effort to transform the world became a European dogma, lasting to this day.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Social Changes—

Impoverished Masses• They were to find

ready allies in France among the impoverished masses who realized that they were paying higher and higher taxes to support the lifestyle of the idle rich at Versailles.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Social---Role of the Aristocrats

• Interestingly, it was among those very idle aristocrats that the French Enlightenment philosophers were to find some of their earliest and most enthusiastic followers.

Pair Share Activity

• For the all the causes covered up to this point, review your Powerpoint and Reading Notes and make any corrections.

• Then come up with symbols for each of the causes and draw them.

Cause: Political and Religious Repression and

Persecution

Origins of the Enlightenment: Political and Religious

Repression• The 17th century

was torn by witch-hunts,wars of religion, and imperial conquest.

Religion Persecution• The 17th century scene: Dogma & Fanaticism

– Witch-hunts and wars of religion– Protestants & Catholics denounced each other as

followers of Satan– People imprisoned for attending wrong church– All publications censored by church and state– Slavery widely practiced, defended by religious leaders– Despotism of monarchs=“divine right of kings”– Any opposition was imprisoned or executed

• Reason and Logic had no room for these matters

Origins of the Enlightenment: Religious Intolerance

• Protestants and Catholics denounced each other as followers of Satan and people could be imprisoned for attending the wrong church or for not attending any.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Censorship

• All publications, whether pamphlets or scholarly volumes, were subject to prior censorship by both church and state.

Origins of the Enlightenment: Despotism

• The despotism of monarchs exercising far greater powers than any medieval king was supported by the doctrine of the "divine right of kings," and scripture quoted to show that revolution was detested by God.

Pair Share Activity

• For under examples, select one of the two following primary source quotes to write down and analyze with your partner.

• What is the philosophe saying in modern day English?

“The individual who persecutes another because he is not of the same opinion is nothing less than

a monster.”

– Voltaire

“If men’s minds were as easily controlled as their tongues,

every king would sit safely on his throne, and government by

compulsion would cease.”

Baruch Spinoza

1670

Cause: Exploration

Origins of the Enlightenment: Exploration and Slavery

• Slavery was widely practiced, especially in the colonial plantations of the Western Hemisphere, and its cruelties frequently defended by leading religious figures..

Origins of The Enlightenment: Exploration

The Impact of Travel Literature

a. Captain James Cook, Travels

b. Literature on China

Diderot’s Views on Mankind• Attacked slavery and colonialism- “We are a free

people; and now you have planted in our country the title deeds of our future slavery. You are neither god nor demon; who are you, then, to make slaves? Orou! You understand the language of these men, tell us all, as you have told me, what they have written on this sheet of metal: 'This country is ours.' This country yours? And why? Because you have walked thereon? If a Tahitian landed one day on your shores, and scratched on one of your rocks or on the bark of your trees: 'This country belongs to the people of Tahiti' - what would you think?" (from Supplement to Bougainville's Voyage)

The Age of Enlightenment in Europe

Five Key Ideas of the Enlightenment

“Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains.”

–RousseauWhat are examples of things that are enslaving us…what aspects

of society according to Rousseau?

Give historical and current examples!

Five Key Ideas of the Enlightenment

The five important philosophical concepts are

1. Reason

2. Nature

3. Happiness

4. Progress

5. Liberty

Five Key Ideas of the Enlightenment• Urged the use of:

– Reason: absence of intolerance, bigotry or prejudice in one’s thinking; beliefs should be rational and free of biases

– Nature: natural laws exist w/out man’s creation; what was natural was good and reasonable; God is found in nature

– Happiness: a person who lives by nature’s law finds happiness; argued against medieval notion that people should accept misery as part of life’s circle; Philosophes believed in well-being on earth

– Progress: Philosophes believed individuals could seek perfection and in return, society seek perfection; looked at human being as capable of progress, making something better

– Liberty: freedoms should not be merely granted, but expected; beliefs that we are born with liberties in nature

Reason

*Belief in logic and science.*Supported the application of the scientific method to all aspects of society.*Government should be based on reason.*It was a period of questioning---led to the development of Political Science.*Importance of education and knowledge:

a)an understanding of human nature and how to apply that knowledge

b)knowledge would conquer fear, superstition, and prejudice

c)knowledge was key to improving society

Reason

Reason• Truth can be discovered

through reason (logical thinking).

• Reason= unbiased thinking – open to new ideas

Reason• Enlightenment philosophers combined logic and

reason• Logic: formal logic is the process(es) by which an

argument can be determined as valid or not. An argument is valid if the premises are all true, then the conclusion must also be true.– Example: All humans have heart. Tom is a human.

Therefore, Tom has a heart.

• Reason: Enlightenment thinkers stated that it consisted of common sense, observation, and their own unacknowledged prejudices in favor of skepticism and freedom.

Reason Cont.

*The greatest crimes are perpetuated in the name of religion and God.

*A fair, just, and productive society absolutely depends on religious tolerance.

*This means religious tolerance for all forms of Christianity and non-Christian faiths.

Reason• Issues of the 17th century scene that the idea

of Reason attacked: Dogma & Fanaticism– Witch-hunts and Wars of Religion– Protestants & Catholics denounced each other as

followers of Satan– People imprisoned for attending wrong church– All publications censored by church and state– Slavery widely practiced, defended by religious

leaders– Despotism of monarchs=“divine right of kings”– Any opposition was imprisoned or executed

• Reason and Logic had no room for these matters

Denis Diderot - Encyclopédie 1766

“All things must be examined, debated, investigated without exception and without regard for anyone’s feelings…”

- Summarize & promote knowledge

Nature

*The belief that there were natural laws that govern the earth as well as man.

*Focused on the scientific discoveries and use of reason to examine the world.

*Deism---a religious philosophy that developed around the following concepts:

a)an impersonal deity (God)b)God is found in nature. You do not have to attend

a formal church.c)There is a common morality amongst humans that

is seen in the similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

d)It is a religion based upon REASON and not Faith.

Nature

Nature Cont.e)Goal was to humanize religion.

f)Rejected original sin.

g)Attacked Christianity for the persecution of other religions and abuses of power.

h)Believed society should exist without religious supervision.

i)It was their job to discover how the world God created worked.

j)Rejected traditions and superstitions.

Nature• What is natural is good

and reasonable• Natural laws affect

economics and politics just as natural laws guide science (ex: motion).

Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778

The Social Contract, 1762

“The General Will”

How could this fraudulent contract of government be made legitimate?

“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? That question I think I can answer.”

Deism/Nature

• The word "Deism" is derived from the Latin word for God: "Deus." Deism involves the belief in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority.

• Deists:– Do not accept the belief of most religions that God

revealed himself to humanity through the writings of the Bible, the Qur'an or other religious texts.

– Disagree with strong Atheists who assert that there is no evidence of the existence of God.

Deism/Nature• Deists regard their faith as a natural religion, as

contrasted with one that is revealed by a God or which is artificially created by humans.

• They reason that since everything that exists has had a creator, then the universe itself must have been created by God.

• Thomas Paine concluded a speech shortly after the French Revolution with: "God is the power of first cause, nature is the law, and matter is the subject acted upon.”

Growth of Deism/Nature

• Intellectuals believe in God but see him as a "watchmaker"

• Deists skeptical of organized religion– Catholic Church was attacked

• Deists struggle with personal standards

• Denial of providence (Voltaire) disputed by others (Pope, Rousseau)

• Denial of evil

“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”

“Almost everything that goes beyond the adoration of a Supreme Being and submission of the heart to his orders is superstition. One of the most dangerous is to believe that certain ceremonies entail the forgiveness of crimes. Do you believe that God will forget a murder you have committed if you bathe in a certain river, sacrifice a black sheep…? … Do better miserable humans, have neither murders nor sacrifices of black sheep.”

God is a comedian God is a comedian playing to an audience playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.too afraid to laugh.

It is dangerous to be It is dangerous to be right when the right when the government is wrong.government is wrong.

I may not agree with what I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will you have to say, but I will defend to the death your defend to the death your right to say it.right to say it.

Example of Deism

Happiness

Happiness

*This was a time period of optimism.

*Believed every man had the right to develop his full potential.

*Focus on secular issues to make life better on earth.

Happiness• Living by Nature’s Laws brings happiness.

• Happiness for all is possible.

Liberty

*Guaranteed freedoms/rights that everyone should have like press, speech, religion.

*Exploring the issues of equality amongst races and gender.

*Exploring what is the best form of government and why.

*Create a government that will help overcome human cruelty and violence by using its power to further social

improvements.

Liberty

Liberty• Envied liberties of

English (Glorious Revolution; Bill of Rights)

• Society could be set free through reason.

"The good of the people must be the great purpose of government. By the laws of nature and of reason, the governors are invested with power to that end. And the greatest good of the people is liberty. It is to the state what health is to the individual."

- Diderot in L'Encyclopedie: Article on Government, quoted in Barzun, Jacques, From Dawn to Decadence, Perennial, 2000, p370.

Progress

Progress• A SCIENTIFIC approach can lead to perfect humanity and science.

ProgressProgress

*The belief that man can improve and perfect society through education and scientific advances.*Attack existing institutions and concepts of:

a)absolutismb)Christianityc)views on how the

world works*Belief in the importance of social reform*By mastering both natural and human sciences, man can harness the natural world for its own benefit and learn to live peacefully with one another.

Pair Share Activity

• Review all the five key ideas of the Enlightenment. Make any revisions to your notes.

• Compare your symbols with your partner and explain your choices.

• Of the five key ideas, which do you each think was the most important idea and explain why.

Defining Philosophes

The Philosophes

• Bourgeoisie: well-educated middle class that emerged during era

• Philosophes: writers within this class– Advocated reason, science, education to build

a stable and free society – Concerned with solutions to social problems

The Philosophes and Their Ideas• France was the capital of the Enlightenment. • Leaders of the Enlightenment were called

“Philosophes”. • Writers, professors, journalists, statesmen

economists and social reformers.• Came from both the nobility and middle class.• Reason was to be used as a tool. • Apply facts to experience to find the best way

for society to operate.• Secular movement; focus was not on an

afterlife, but on this world and how it could be improved and enjoyed.

• Everything should be questioned to determine whether it made logical sense and served society.

The Philosophes• Intellectuals who

discussed ideas• Used reason to explain

their world• Believed that reason

could improve society• Not satisfied with old

ideas• Believed in tolerance for

all religions

• The “Philosophes”

• The philosophes were French social critics in the mid-1700s.

• Paris becomes the center of the Enlightenment during 1700s.

• Paris is home to salons – gatherings wherethinkers (philosophes) meet to discuss ideas.

• They valued reason, nature, happiness, progress, & liberty.

• Some philosophes worked to bring attention to problems in society.

• For example, Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria worked to reform justice system by calling for speedy trials and greater rights for criminal defendants.

The “Enlightened” Individual

The Philosophe

► Not really original thinkers as a whole, but were great publicists of the new Not really original thinkers as a whole, but were great publicists of the new thinking thinking CHANGE & PROGRESS! CHANGE & PROGRESS!

► They were students of society who analyzed its evils and advanced reforms.They were students of society who analyzed its evils and advanced reforms.

What did the Philosophers Despise?

• Absolute Monarchs

• Land-Owning Nobles

• The Catholic Church’s Abusesf power

The Philosophes and Society

Argued that a woman should be able to decide what is in her own interest and should not be completely dependent on her husband.

Called for equal education for girls and boys.

Believed that people were basically good.

Argued that government controls should be minimal and should only be imposed by a freely elected government.

Felt the good of the community should be placed above individual interests.

Defended the principle of freedom of speech.

Used wit to expose abuses and corruption.

Opposed the slave trade and religious prejudice.

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFTROUSSEAUVOLTAIRE

Thinkers called philosophes believed that the use of reason could lead to reforms of government, law, and society.

1

Political Thinkers of the Enlightenment

The separation of powers is the best way to protect liberty.

Each branch of government should serve as a check on the others.

People are basically reasonable and moral.

People have certain natural rights.

A government has a duty to the people it governs. If a government fails, the people have the right to overthrow it.

People are naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish.

People entered into a social contract, in order to live in an organized society.

Only an absolute monarchy can ensure an orderly society.

BARON de MONTESQUIEU

JOHN LOCKETHOMAS HOBBES

1

Centers of the Enlightenment

Effects of the Enlightenment

The “Republic of Letters”

A. URBAN –-- gathering of elites in the cities (salons) –-- gathering of elites in the cities (salons)

B. URBANE --– cosmopolitan, worldly --– cosmopolitan, worldly - music, art, literature, politics - music, art, literature, politics - read newspapers & the latest - read newspapers & the latest books books

C. POLITENESS –-- proper behavior –-- proper behavior - self-governed - self-governed

Reading During the Enlightenment

► Literacy: - 80 % for men, 60 % women - 80 % for men, 60 % women

► Books were expensive (one day’s wages)Books were expensive (one day’s wages)

► Many readers for each book Many readers for each book

►- novels, plays & other literature- novels, plays & other literature - journals, memoirs, “private lives” - journals, memoirs, “private lives” - philosophy, history, theology - philosophy, history, theology - newspapers, political pamphlets - newspapers, political pamphlets

► - often censored by governments- often censored by governments

Toleration & Religious Minorities• out of political necessity, toleration of certain creeds began by 17th cent.• Louis XIV turned back the clock, persecuting Huguenots in the early 18th

cent.• Austria - Toleration Patent of 1781 recognized Catholic public practice &

granted right to private worship for Lutherans, Calvinists, & Greek Orthodox– in all other ways, Austrians were equal

Toleration of the Jews• remained the despised religious minority of Europe• largest # of Ashkenazic Jews lived in Eastern Europe

– restricted in movement– forbidden to own land or hold jobs– pay special taxes– subject to periodic popular wrath

• Sephardic Jews - had been expelled from Spain in 15th cent. – settled in Turkish lands, also cities such as Amsterdam, Venice, London,

& Frankfurt where they were free to work in banking & commercial activities

– many philosophes denounced persecution, but still ridiculed Jewish customs

– Austria: eased restrictions on Jews, but still own land or worship publicly

Impact/ Effects of the Enlightenment• The Enlightenment birthed two revolutions

imperative to Western Civilization:– American Revolution– French Revolution

• The Enlightenment created an outlet for intellectuals/educated to openly debate issues w/in society

• This era allowed for a greater sense of ‘universalism’ where peoples did not live for their own sake, but sought betterment for others

England v. France• The English and French Enlightenments

exchanged influences through many channels.– Because England had gotten its

revolution out of the way early, it was able to proceed more smoothly down the road to democracy.

– But English liberty was dynamite when transported to France, where resistance by church and state was fierce.

Progression Timeline

Enlightenment in America• Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, many

of the intellectual leaders of the American colonies were drawn to the Enlightenment. – Jefferson, Washington, Franklin,

and Paine were powerfully influenced by Enlightenment thought.

– The God who underwrites the concept of equality in the Declaration of Independence is the same Deist God Rousseau worshipped.

Why should we care?• Because Thomas Jefferson

totally ripped off of these guys!• You remember that little paper

he wrote? It was called The Declaration of Independence and signed on July 4, 1776.

• This paper summarized how the Enlightenment ideas influenced our American forefathers (Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison).

American Revolution• The language of natural law,

of inherent freedoms, of self-determination which seeped so deeply into the American grain was the language of the Enlightenment.

• Separated geographically from most of the aristocrats against whom they were rebelling, their revolution was to be far less corrosive than that in France.

Montesquieu’s 3 branches in Action

Enlightenment Ideas in America

• Natural Rights –life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness• Separation of Power – legislative, judicial, & executive branches• Social Contract• Freedom of speech, press, and religion• Purpose of Gov’t to serve the people• System of Checks and Balances• Capitalism• Importance of Education• Belief that science and eventually technology will solve most or all

problems• Idea of Human Rights• Helping others---social services, etc….

Pair Share Activity

• Complete the Sum It Up Activity that is the last page of the graphic organizer packet.

• Some pairs will be sharing them as closure to the lesson.