C ENLIGHTENMENT THINKERS Ideas of Enlightenment

Enlightenment Thinkers Enlightenment Thinker List his/her country and areas of interest underneath the name Summarize… 1. …each person’s philosophy/beliefs 2. …how this philosopher influenced the creation of America and its government Thomas Hobbes John Locke Montesquieu Rousseau Voltaire Mary Wollstonecraft Adam Smith

Thomas Hobbes From England; Studied Government Wrote the book Leviathan Believed all men were naturally bad, greedy & evil Social Contract- Believed we need laws & strong leaders to keep order Punishment for those who break laws In US, we give-up some liberties for order

John Locke From England; Studied Government Believed in Natural Rights- Life, Liberty, and Property Believed men were equal, moral and reasonable Believed in loyalty to king and country (nationalism) However, if a leader was not giving natural rights, citizens did have the right to overthrow the government Ideas in US- the American Revolution, Documents like the Declaration of Independence

Montesquieu From France; Studied Government Rejected the idea of a absolute ruler Believed in separation of powers so no one person or group had too much power Believed in checks and balances In the US, we have three branches of government that check and balance each other

Rousseau From France; Studied Politics Wrote about Social Contract Believed people were born moral and good but learned how to be evil Believed citizens should be committed to do what is good for the group In US, helped settle revolts- what is good for the group

Voltaire From France; Wanted reforms Believed in freedom of speech and religion In the US, influenced the Bill of Rights

Mary Wollstonecraft From England; women’s rights Believed girls and boys should both receive the same education In US, her ideas did not come to pass until the 20 th Century

Adam Smith From England; Wrote on Economics Believed in the invisible hand of the marketplace Laissez-faire, “to let do,” the government should not interfere in economy In the US, for 200 years the government relied on Smith’s ideas