1. Quaestio: How revolutionary was the American Revolution?
Nunc Agenda: Which Enlightenment Philosophers were the most radical? Discuss and compare conclusions with your partner, and then we will discuss as a class.

2. Relatively Radical Voices
What general observations can be made about which thinkers were most radical and which were least?
How did their socio-political environments shape their positions?
Do you think people in their own society agreed with their views? If so, which parts of society?
Who would and would not have had access to their writings and ideas?

3. Dawn of the Age of Reason
The Black Death, the Protestant Reformation, Church corruption, scientific discoveries that conflicted with the Church, and an increase in wars motivated at least in part by religion led many Europeans to rely less on the Church and religion generally for solutions to the world’s problems

4. Dawn of the Age of Reason
The Renaissance had created an appreciation for human reason inspired by Classical Greece and Rome, the Scientific Revolution of the 14th and 15th centuries showed Europeans that human reason could be used to discover the laws of nature, and the printing press had helped to spread those ideas and increase Europeans in their access to education and information.

5. Dawn of the Age of Reason
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a period beginning in the 16th century during which philosophers, writers, and scholars began applying reason in an attempt to discover natural laws beyond science, such as for society, government, and the economy.

6. Seven Years War: The First World War
The causes are complex, but simply put, there were two overlapping conflicts
Britain VS France (and Spain) over control of colonies and trade in the Americas, Africa, and Asia
Prussia (allied with Britain) VS Austria (allied with France, Russia, and Sweden) over territory in Europe, continuing from the War of Austrian Succession

8. Seven Years War: The First World War
The British were the clear winners, gaining much colonial territory, but they still had to pay for the costs of war, so they began enforcing long-ignored anti-smuggling laws and taxes in the American colonies to increase profits from trade, and also enacted new taxes on the American colonies

9. From Revolution to Independence
Until then, colonists had much more control over their own affairs, so they resented the sudden restrictions, especially since they did not have representation in the British Parliament
The colonies worked together, almost like a government, to boycott and protest, which eventually led to violent confrontations with British troops, marking the beginning of the American Revolution

10. From Revolution to Independence
It was not until 1776 that colonial leaders decided to go from demanding representation and changes in British policy to declaring American independence from Great Britain, using Enlightenment ideas of liberty and natural rights to justify their position, turning the conflict into a War for Independence
SPOILER ALERT: America wins the Revolution! But how revolutionary was it?