1. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution
Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Scientific Revolution Sparks the Enlightenment
In the wake of the Scientific Revolution came the Enlightenment. This was an era in which people used reason to try to understand more about human behavior and solve the problems of society
Notes: Listen to the Witness History audio. Then read aloud the main idea for each subheading in this section and show the related visuals.
After listening to the Witness History audio, ask students to explain what Rousseau meant by “chains.” What might have been some examples of such “chains” in his time and today?
When showing color Transparency 120 and 102, use the lessons suggested in the transparency book to guide discussion.
Hobbes and Locke Have Conflicting Views
English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both wrote about society and the ideal form of governing it. Hobbes thought people needed strict control to rein in their naturally brutish tendencies. Locke thought people were moral at heart and were entitled to certain natural rights, which governments were obliged to protect.
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2. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution
Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason
The Philosophes
A group of French philosophers who wrote about government, law, and society were known as the philosophes. Baron de Montesquieu believed in employing three branches of government that could balance each other’s powers. Voltaire fought the slave trade and religious prejudice with his witty writings. Denis Diderot collected Enlightenment articles in an Encyclopedia that helped to spread ideas throughout Europe and the Americas. Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought people were basically good and should be much freer from governmental controls. During the Enlightenment, some women stood up for their inclusion in the new societies that were being imagined.
Notes: Listen to the Witness History audio. Then read aloud the main idea for each subheading in this section and show the related visuals.
After listening to the Witness History audio, ask students to explain what Rousseau meant by “chains.” What might have been some examples of such “chains” in his time and today?
When showing color Transparency 120 and 102, use the lessons suggested in the transparency book to guide discussion.
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3. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution
Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason
New Economic Thinking
Economists also applied reason to their study of economics during the Enlightenment. Adam Smith and a group of French thinkers called physiocrats urged economies that operated with little government control.
Notes: Listen to the Witness History audio. Then read aloud the main idea for each subheading in this section and show the related visuals.
After listening to the Witness History audio, ask students to explain what Rousseau meant by “chains.” What might have been some examples of such “chains” in his time and today?
When showing color Transparency 120 and 102, use the lessons suggested in the transparency book to guide discussion.
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4. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution: Section 1
Color Transparency 101: Enlightenment Ideas About Government
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5. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution: Section 1
Note Taking Transparency 120
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6. The Enlightenment and the American Revolution: Section 1
Color Transparency 102: Law of Supply and Demand
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