Warm-Up Sort the papers in your Ziploc into categories – one pink card will go with one or two orange cards.
Warm-Up Discuss with your group – Are people mostly good or mostly bad?
SWBAT evaluate the political contributions of individuals from the Enlightenment era Objective
Age of Enlightenment
Video As we’re watching, re-create the drawing on your paper. Write any additional notes to help you make sense of the information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP8k_f3PFq8
Introduction Movement – 17-18th century Reasoning and human ability Natural Laws and Rights Vaccines were invented which stopped diseases Edward Jenner – Small pox vaccine New methods of science Scientific Revolution led to the Enlightenment.
The Philosophes (Philosophers) Enlightenment thinkers of the 18th century Used rational thought to figure out and understand human condition Impacted science, government, philosophy, and etc.
Thomas Hobbes – 1588 – 1679 Beliefs Purpose of Government Wrote Humans are naturally greedy and selfish People need government to impose order Purpose of Government Give up some freedoms to our leader in exchange for peace and safety Absolute monarch; he believed that was the best way to rule Wrote Leviathan (1651)
John Locke – 1632 – 1704 Beliefs Purpose of Government Wrote Natural rights – (unalienable) born with rights People consent to government; power is limited by law Purpose of Government Protect people’s natural rights People have the right to overthrow government Wrote Two treaties of Government
Baron de Montesquieu – 1689 – 1755 Beliefs Wanted to prevent any individual or group from gaining too much power Best form if government has separation Purpose of Government Legislative – makes laws Executive - carries out laws Judicial – interprets laws Checks and balances should be part of modern government
Wrote The Spirit of Laws (1748)
Jean Jacques Rousseau – 1712 – 1788 Beliefs People born good and that society corrupts us Everyone should be equal (excluded women) People enter into a social contract with the government – can be broken. Purpose of Government Government should work for the benefit of the common good (people), not for the wealthy Individuals give up some freedoms for benefit of community as a whole (submitting to the general will) Sovereignty should be in the hands of the people Wrote The Social Contract (1762)
Francois Marie Aroute (Voltaire) 1694 – 1778 Beliefs Believed everyone was equal (excluding women) Freedom of speech was vital Believed in a strict separation of church and state Purpose of Government Government should protect justice and equality Wrote Wrote under the name Voltaire because people disliked him His books were burned and banned “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
Mary Wollstonecraft – 1759 - 1797 Beliefs Questioned why natural rights didn’t apply to women Purpose of Government Demanded equal rights for women, especially for education Saw lack of education as a factor which limited women’s future Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) British colonist, read Enlightenment works Became a writer/philosopher of the Enlightenment 1770s – wrote “Common Sense” Britain allowed only some “self govern” Colonist felt entitled to equality and rights
Discussion Questions With whom do you agree: Hobbes or Locke? Why? Where do we see evidence of these ideas in the structure of our own government?
Activity As a group, read through the Bill of Rights. As you’re reading through, have one person take note of where you see evidence of one of the Enlightenment thinkers’ ideas.