1. And its influence on the American Revolution
The enlightenment
And its influence on the American Revolution

2. Enlightenment:
New ideas about government, law, society, and peoples’ rights
Enlightenment thinking: God created an orderly universe. The laws that make this orderly universe work can be discovered through the use of human reason.
THE 3 ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS YOU NEED TO REMEMBER ARE….

3. 1) John Locke All people are born free and equal
All people possess natural rights- i.e. life, liberty, property
If the government tried to deny or take away people’s natural rights, it would be breaking The Social Contract Theory

4. 2) Jean Jacques Rousseau
Writes The Social Contract …. The book!
“Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains”
All people have the right to determine HOW they want to be governed, and WHO should govern them
Equals… majority rule

5. 3) Baron de Montesquieu
Promotes the idea of dividing government into branches
Within those branches there should be Checks and Balances so that no one branch ever becomes more powerful than another
If one branch of government were to become too powerful- that would threaten individual natural rights and The Social Contract Theory

6. Enlightenment Big Idea:
John Locke- Natural Rights +
Jean Jacques Rousseau- The Social Contract Theory(book), Majority Rule
Baron de Montesquieu- Branches of Government/Check and Balances =
The cornerstones of American founding documents
Declaration of Independence
U.S. Constitution