1. Bell Work What is the Enlightenment? (Use your Enlightenment worksheet.) A time when people developed new ideas about human existence, including peoples’ basic rights and the level of control they should have over their government and their futures.

2. The Enlightenment

3. What is Absolutism?  Most governments in Europe from the 1500s -1700s were absolute monarchies with unlimited power.  King = The Divine Right  Citizens = limited/no rights.

4. What was the Enlightenment?  A time when great thinkers & philosophers used reason and logic to challenge and change the old, absolute, ideas of government, freedom, and human rights in order to improve society. Think about the light bulb coming on when you have an idea. These guys had ideas that made the people realize that they should have freedoms.

5. What philosophies were Enlightenment ideas based on? The State of Nature (SEE WORKSHEET) – Explained why political organization occurred. What was life like before societies developed?  Some believed it was where our natural rights come from  Life, Liberty, property  Some believed it was a terrible way to live with the strong controlling the weak and the reason why we need a strong absolute government. Social Contract Theory (SEE WORKSHEET) – Individuals agree to give up some rights to the government in exchange for protection of the rights they have left. Why & how? – Some thought it was a peaceful agreement. – Some thought it was a violent takeover. Each philosophe applied and interpreted these ideas differently.

6. Bell Work 9/25 What are the two theories that many of the Philosophe’s ideas are based around? State of Nature Social Contract

7. THE PHILOSOPHES French word. Means Philosopher.

8. Who were the Philosophes? The great Enlightenment thinkers of the day. They wrote books and shared ideas about government, freedom, liberty, religion, and justice

9. Which Philosophes will we learn about? We will focus on 4 of them. – John Locke – Jean- Jacques Rousseau – Baron de Montesquieu – Voltaire François-Marie Arouet

10. Who was John Locke?  A British Philosophe whose ideas greatly influenced the American Revolution.  Influenced by the Glorious Revolution

11. What did John Locke believe? State of Nature The state of nature was a good place. – Everyone was equal and followed natural laws Humans were born with natural rights – rights that belong to all & given by God – Life, Liberty, Property (Pursuit of Happiness) Natural Rights challenged absolute rule.

12. What did John Locke believe? Social Contract The social contract was a voluntary agreement between the ruled and the rulers to make life safer & better. Government’s responsibility is to protect the rights of the people If the government did not protect these rights, then the people had the right to get rid of the government. – “consent of the governed” the belief that a government is allowed to exist because the people let it.

14. How did Locke’s ideas impact USA?  Thomas Jefferson studied Locke’s writings.  Natural Rights: Life, Liberty, Property (Pursuit of Happiness)  Social Contract: Led to Declaration of Independence

15. Bell Work What influence did John Locke have on America? His ideas of natural rights (Life, Liberty, Property) and the social contract influenced the Declaration of Independence & the American Revolution.

16. Who was Jean- Jacques Rousseau?  A French philosophe who had strong ideas about democracy.  He greatly influenced America’s Constitution.

17. What did Rousseau believe? State of Nature  In a state of nature people are born free and become selfish.  It is the role of the government to make laws and rules to protect the people.  People should be willing to give up their selfish desires for “the greater good” of society.  This idea would be used in the future to justify totalitarian control of a government.

18. What did Rousseau believe? Social Contract The people should have input in laws and rules that impact them. The government should follow the “general will” of the people. – However if everyone can’t agree then the “majority rules”. Government’s power should be limited by what the majority wanted. – A.K.A. – Popular Sovereignty

19. How did Rousseau’s ideas impact the USA?  Popular sovereignty: governments get their power from doing what most of the citizens want.  Democracy: “General Will” & “Majority Rule”

20. Bell Work How did Montesquieu influence America’s government? 3 Branches of Government – Judicial – Legislative – Executive Separation of Powers Checks and Balances

21. Who was Baron de Montesquieu?  A French Philosophe who focused on how governments should be organized.  His ideas had the biggest impact on the organization of our government today.

22. What were Montesquieu's ideas?  The separation of powers  Multiple branches of government  Checks and Balances  Government must be limited by each branch checking and balancing out the other branches powers.  He did not create this idea. He just made it popular.  England already had this system

23. How did Montesquieu’s ideas impact the USA?  His idea was used to create the 3 branches of the US government.  Legislative – Congress  Executive – President  Judicial – Supreme Court

24. Who was Voltaire?  A French Philosophe and writer who cared a lot about personal freedoms.  Voltaire was his pen name. His real name was François- Marie Arouet.

25. What were Voltaire’s ideas? Civil Liberties (the rights of citizens) – Freedom of speech and Freedom of religion. – He wrote many books supporting the separation of church and state, religious equality, and problems with absolute government. By expressing many controversial views in his writing he was promoting the need for freedom of speech.

26. How did Voltaire’s ideas impact the USA? Civil liberties the basis of the entire constitution and the reason for the Declaration of Independence. The 1 st amendment of the Constitution gives Americans the Freedom of speech and religion.