1. The Enlightenment

2. The Enlightenment An intellectual movement
Enlightenment thinkers tried to apply reason and scientific methods to laws that shaped human actions.
Wanted to build a society around the ideas of the Scientific Revolution

3. Impact Stimulated religious tolerance
Fueled democratic revolutions around the world
Rise of individualism—thinking for yourself
Rise of a more secular or worldly outlook

4. Main Men

5. Thomas Hobbes Wrote Leviathan English philosopher
Believes all humans are naturally wicked
Absolute monarchy is the best form of government
Governments are created to protect people from their own selfishness

6. John Locke Wrote Two Treatises on Government English philosopher
People have the ability to reason to make good decisions if given the proper information
Governments should be formed with the approval of the people
Governments should exist to protect individual freedoms and liberties
People, not god, should choose leaders.

7. Montesquieu Wrote The Spirit of Laws French political thinker
A monarchy with limited power makes a country stable and secure
Developed the idea of “separation of powers”
Government should be divided or spread out among different branches of government so no one individual or group has too much power and as a result threatens liberty.

8. Rousseau Wrote The Social Contract
Swiss philosopher who believed that society had corrupted the natual goodness in people
Direct Democracy—where people vote in person to make all laws—was the way to protect individual freedom
Government should be a contract between rulers and the people

9. Voltaire French writer Believed in:
Tolerance
Reason
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Supported the idea of separation of church and state

10. How did the Enlightenment Spread?
Salons—wealthy women would gather to discuss ideas
Encyclopedia—published many Enlightenment ideas
Pamphlets and newspapers helped circulate ideas

11. Enlightened Monarchs
The church and French government were angered by Enlightenment ideas and tried to censor people’s work
Enlightenment thinkers tried to change the way the governments were run and tried to convince rulers to rule justly.
Inspired revolutions in the United States and France

12. Some rulers became “enlightened monarchs”
Believed in many enlightenment ideas
Old Way: Monarch says “I am the state”
New Way: “I am only a servant of the state”
If you’re an absolute monarch---are you enlightened?

13. American Revolution
Colonies grew from 250,000 to 2,150,000 by the 1700s
People had been living there for 150 years
“Americans” wanted their own identity , Britain wanted more control
Stamp Act- Boston Tea Party
1776- Thomas Jefferson writes Declaration of Independence
Constitution- written by members from all colonies
Bill of Rights- first 10 amendments

14. Ways the Enlightenment Influenced American and French Government
Ideas
Thinker
Impact
Natural Rights- life, liberty, and property
Fundamental to the U.S. Declaration of Independence
Montesquieu
France, U.S., Latin American nations use separation of power in new constitutions
Freedom of thought and expression
Voltaire
European monarchs reduce censorship
Beccaria
Guaranteed in the U.S. Bill of Rights; torture outlawed or reduced in Europe and the Americas
Guaranteed in the U.S. Bill of Rights and French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen; European monarchs reduce persecution
Locke
Separation of powers
Guaranteed in the U.S. Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man
Abolishment of Torture
Religious Freedom
Voltaire

15. Working with a partner, you’re going to see several quotes. Several of
Who Said It?
(or would have said it)
Working with a partner, you’re going to see several quotes. Several of
them are actual quotes - several of them are
things that could have been quotes.
Your job is to figure out who would have said
them.

16. 1. Life without
government (laws) is:
“solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish, and
short”
Hint: from Leviathan

17. Hobbes

18. 2. Government exists to preserve “life,
liberty, and property,” and if it does
not do this, then the people have a right
to rebel and “provide for their
safety…[by forming] a new
legislature.”
Hint: From Two Treatises of
Government

19. Locke

20. 3. “When the legislature and
the executive power are united in the same person…there is no
liberty.”
Hint: from The Spirit of Laws

21. Montesquieu

22. 4. “man is born free,” but is “everywhere in chains.”
“government is a contract between people and the rulers”
Hint: from The Social Contract

23. Rousseau

24. what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
5. “I disapprove of
what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

25. Voltaire

26. 6. “Again, there is no liberty if the power of judging [is] not
separated from the legislative
and the executive.”
Hint: from The Spirit of Laws

27. Montesquieu

28. Hint: From Two Treatises of Government
7. People should be
sovereign (rule)
because they are
generally good.
Hint: From Two Treatises of Government

29. Locke

30. 8. “L’etat c’est moi” (I am the state.)

31. Louis XIV

32. form of government is an absolute monarch - but I
9. “I agree with the last
guy’s quote. The best
form of government is an
absolute monarch - but I
don’t like divine right -
that’s not reasonable.”

33. Hobbes

34. 10. “From now on our country will be
westernized. No
nobles will wear
beards.”

35. Peter the Great

36. better keep it to myself
11. “I’m sure that the
earth goes around the
sun, but I guess I
better keep it to myself
so the Church won’t
get mad.”

37. Copernicus

38. 12. “Ouch! That apple
hurt! Hey - that makes
me wonder….”

39. Newton

40. separate so that people
13. “The church and
the state should be
separate so that people
can have freedom of
religion.”

41. Voltaire

42. by different branches.”
14. “The best form of
government is one
where power is shared
by different branches.”

43. Montesquieu

44. 15. “OK, Pope,
whatever you say. I
take it all back. My
telescope must have
lied to me.”

45. Galileo

46. 16. “Stop it, you fool!
If you try to drain out
his bad leg blood he’ll
end up losing all his
blood!”

47. Harvey

48. 17. “Whoa! I’m getting
dizzy! I can’t believe
some folks don’t
believe me that the
planets are in motion.”

49. Kepler

50. 18. “The 30 Years War
messed up my
country. We need a
strong military to
protect us now.”

51. Frederick I