I.) The Enlightenment o Time period in Europe in the 1600’s and 1700’s that used reason to explain human nature. o Direct result of the Age of Absolutism o Believed government decisions should be based on the laws of nature and reason.

II.) Thomas Hobbes English philosopher Wrote: the Leviathan in 1651 Belief(s): - people made an unwritten Social Contract giving all power to one ruler and people only keep right to protect their lives - people exchange liberty for safety

III.) John Locke English philosopher Wrote: the Two Treatises of Government Belief(s): - people made an unwritten Social Contract but only gave up some rights - kept right to life, liberty, & own property - ruler who violates rights breaks the social contract

IV.) Baron de Montesquieu French philosopher Wrote: The Spirit of the Laws in 1748 Belief(s): - division of government in three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial) - government should have system of checks and balances

V.) Voltaire French philosopher Wrote: the Philosophical Letters Belief(s): - Urged Religious Toleration (separation of church and state) - Defended Freedom of Speech

VI.) Denis Diderot French philosopher Wrote: the Encyclopedia Belief(s): - Goal: was to collect and disseminate all current Enlightenment ideas - Outcome: spread Enlightenment ideas across Europe and North America - Outcome: undermined existing authority

VII.) Jean-Jacques Rousseau French philosopher Wrote: the Social Contract Belief(s): - General Will - Social Contract with one another to form a civil society - Govt. should be based on Popular Sovereignty - Defended individual freedoms

VIII.) Mary Wollstonecraft English philosopher & feminist Wrote: the Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) Belief(s): - women should have same political and educational rights as men - Urged Equality for all