1. U.S HISTORY Ms. Ramirez Foundations of American Political and Social Thought
The Enlightenment

2. The Enlightenment

3. California Content Standards
11.1 Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempt to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence
1. Describe the Enlightenment and the rise of democratic ideas as the context in which the nation was founded

4. Foundations of Democracy
Originated in ancient Greek city-states 2,500 yrs ago
Magna Carta (1215)- Forced King John to guarantee certain civil and political freedoms.

5. Petition of Right
Petition of Right (1626)- Parliament forced Charles I to sign this document, limiting the power of monarchy.
Protections against
Imprisonment without jury trial
Implementation of martial law during peacetime
Mandatory quartering of troops
Taxation without parliament approval

6. English Bill of Rights (1689)
Forbade crown from suspending or passing laws
Forbade raising taxes without Parliament’s consent
Guaranteed the right to a fair and speedy trial
Forbade cruel and unusual punishment

7. ENLIGHTENMENT THINKERS
Valued reason, science, religious tolerance & natural rights as the key to improving society.
Argued that Democracy will improve human condition
Were not concerned with religion or afterlife

9. Wrote “The Leviathan” to defend the absolute power of the king
THOMAS HOBBES ( )
Wrote “The Leviathan” to defend the absolute power of the king
Leviathan = Government, a powerful state created to impose order

10. Thomas Hobbes
State of Nature- We are all equal, free to do what we need to survive
No laws or anyone to enforce them
Individuals create a supreme power to impose peace
People give power to a sovereign to enforce laws & create security.

11. Thomas Hobbes Monarchy best form of government.
People had NO RIGHT to revolt against the king

12. John Locke (1632-1704) right to life, liberty, and property
1. NATURAL RIGHTS- exist in State of Nature & cannot be taken away or be given up
right to life, liberty, and property
Rights are inalienable (impossible to surrender)

13. John Locke (1632-1704) Natural Rights Limit the Power of the King
King had NO ABSOLUTE POWER
King acts as an enforcer of laws & protects peoples rights
If rights are violated, the king could be overthrown

14. John Locke (1632-1704) Right to property was the most important
Government only necessary to promote ‘PUBLIC GOOD’
Supreme authority UNDER legislature
Jefferson used his theories in the Declaration of Independence

15. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Humans are good, but the society in which they live is corrupt and bad
Ownership of property corrupts people and results in inequality, murder, and war
Social Contract was a fraud against the people committed by the rich

16. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Individuals should not give up their natural rights to a king, but to the WHOLE COMMUNITY
DIRECT DEMOCRACY BEST- everyone votes
All political power in the hands of the people- No Separation of Powers
Rousseau’s general will are embodied in the words “We the people…” at the beginning of the Constitution

17. Montesquieu: ( )
In ‘state of nature’ individuals avoid violence and war
Need for food creates societies
State of War leads to Laws and Government
Main purpose of government- Maintain law & order, political liberty and property

18. Montesquieu: (1689-1755) A republic best form of government
Opposed ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
Favored BALANCE OF POWERS or SEPARATION OF POWERS within government
Prototype for “checks and balances”

19. Montesquieu: ( )
Acknowledged British Constitution as the BEST example of government:
King (enforced laws)
Parliament (elected, made laws)
Judges of the English courts (interpreted laws)
Americans adopted this system in the U.S. Constitution

20. CST Related Questions
1. What effect did the Enlightenment have on political thought in the colonies?
COLONISTS BEGAN TO QUESTION THE AUTHORITY OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY
2. The Declaration of Independence elaborates on which Enlightenment idea?
NATURAL RIGHTS

21. CST Related Questions
3. Use the following information to complete the statement
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
--The Declaration of Independence
The idea included in the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence can be attributed to:
John Locke b. Montesquieu
c. Voltaire d. Jean-Jacques Rousseau