Age of Enlightenment Chapter 17

Philosophy in the Age of Reason Section 1

Philosophy in Age of Reason Key Terms Social Contract John Locke Natural Rights Montesquieu Censorship Adam Smith Laissez-Faire Focus Question: What effects did Enlightenment philosophers have on government & society?

Natural Law 1500s-1600s: Scientific Revolution brought reason & scientific method and changed way of looking at the world Natural Law: rules discovered by reason Used to study human behavior & solve society’s problems Scientific Revolution= Sparked “Enlightenment” A revolution in thinking

Society & Government Thomas Hobbes: argued that people were “brutish” by nature & should be controlled by absolute monarchy Social Contract: people give up freedom for organized society John Locke: argued people were basically good & had natural rights (life, liberty, & property) Rejected absolute monarchy, felt govt should be limited

Philosophes Philosophes: French thinkers who believed in using reason to reform govt, society, & law Montesquieu: separation of powers and checks & balances in govt to protect individual rights Voltaire: defended freedom of speech

Enlightenment freedoms did not apply to women No Girls Allowed! Jean-Jacques Rousseau: believed good of all was above individual rights Enlightenment freedoms did not apply to women Adam Smith: rejected govt regulation of economy Laissez-Faire: “Let them do as they will”

Tradition vs. Enlightenment Enlightenment ideas challenged traditional views of social classes, divine right to rule, & other customs Censorship: gov’t banned & burned books that promoted these new ideas & jailed writers Philosophes disguised their ideas in works of fiction Salons: people gathered and discussed new ideas in art, science, literature, & philosophy

Birth of American Republic Section 3

Warm-Up “Think of the effects of the Enlightenment on society Which is the most important and why?” (explain, not list)

Birth of American Republic Key Terms Stamp Act Popular Sovereignty Thomas Jefferson Federal Republic Focus Question: How did Enlightenment ideas lead to independence & founding of United States?

British Rule Mid-1700s: Britain=major global power for its location, trade, & colonial territories George III: King of British empire @ time Empire included 13 American colonies Stamp act: increased taxes & tensions between colonists & British govt “no taxation w/o representation!” Colonies wanted independence from British govt & began to protest

Beginnings of US Govt Reps from each colony meet to discuss plan of action (included G. Washington) Amer. Rev War begins in Mass. In 1775 Declaration of Independence issued July 4, 1776 Written mostly by Thomas Jefferson Reflected John Locke’s ideas (life, liberty, property) Popular sovereignty: govt should reflect the will of the people

War & American Govt Colonist struggled to defeat British forces Brits surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, 1781 War ends with Treaty of Paris American leaders (Ben Franklin & James Madison) meet to establish new govt & Constitution Federal Republic: based on separation of powers Bill of Rights: Protects basic human natural rights Enlightenment ideas important to US Constitution