Influences on American Democracy

 The Age of Enlightenment refers to the time period from the mid-1600s to about 1800 also known as the Age of Reason.  During this time period, people began to place emphasis on reason and logic.  People sought to reform society and advance knowledge by taking an intellectual look at the fields of science, politics, and social theories.  Individualism, or the idea that each individual has value, deserves dignity, and is born with rights, looks to be the driving force behind the Age of Enlightenment.  Rationalism, the idea that humans should find truth through reason and logic, was also prevalent during this time period.

John Locke Charles-Louis Montesquieu Jean-Jacques Rousseau Thomas Hobbes Voltaire Important People of the Enlightenment that Influenced American Democracy

 Locke was an important political philosopher of the Enlightenment.  He believed that a government was legitimate only if it had received the consent of the people it ruled.  He also believed the government should protect the natural rights of citizens and that all individuals should be equal under the law.  This principle is seen in the Declaration of Independence.  The colonist knew this principle by the name popular sovereignty.

 Montesquieu was a French political thinker known for his ideas regarding the separation of powers in government.  In his work entitled The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu argued against one large government structure controlling every aspect of law and instead proposed the idea of separate branches. LOOKS FAMILIAR!

 Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher, writer, and Enlightenment thinker who’s philosophy was influenced much by the French Revolution.  Known as one of the great thinkers of Enlightenment, he saw how humans were able to establish a new sense of logic and reason.  Rousseau argued that every person was capable of such thinking and therefore could choose his or her own destiny.  In his famous work, Reveries of a Solitary Walker, we see this idea expressed.

 Hobbes was said to be the first to develop social contract theory.  He believed strongly that people naturally give up certain rights to a government in order to maintain social order.  His thought was without government structure, people would fight each other and would never know peace.  Hobbes states that "The natural state of men, before they were joined in society, was a war, and not simply, but a war of all against all."  The quote above caused Hobbes to believed that the only cure of such a war was the creation of a strong government with almost absolute power.  He also believed that people would freely give up their rights of governing themselves in order to live in peace.

 Voltaire was a French writer.  Just as his Enlightenment counter- parts did, Voltaire believed in each individual's civil liberties, including free speech and freedom of religion. Could these Enlightenment beliefs be the origin of the Bill of Rights?

 The English Bill of Rights  The Mayflower Compact  Two Treaties of Government  The Scientific Revolution  The American Revolution  The French Revolution  The Declaration of Independence

 The philosophies of Ancient Greece and Rome  Massachusetts Body of Liberties  Suffolk Resolves

 Emphasis on republicanism, liberty, and the rights of citizens  Ideas can be seen in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights

 Written in 1641  Set rules on how colonial government should treat citizens and how citizens should treat each other  Influential to leaders of Revolution in deciding how to set up government

 Declared in 1774 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts  A response to Intolerable Acts  Boycott/Refusal to use British goods  Refusal to comply with punishment against Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party  Support of a government in Massachusetts separate from the royal government  Support of the colonist raising a militia independent from British troops

 Common Sense  John Locke’s Second Treatise