Name
Class
Date
Chapter 17 Enlightenment and Revolution
Section 1
HSS 7.11
MAIN IDEAS
1. The Enlightenment was also called the
Age of Reason.
2. The Enlightenment’s roots can be traced
back to earlier ideas.
3. New ideas came mainly from French and
British thinkers.
Students analyze political
and economic change in
the sixteenth, seventeenth,
and eighteenth centuries
(the Age of Exploration, the
Enlightenment, and the Age
of Reason).
Key Terms and People
period in which people valued the use of reason as a guide to
improving society
secular non-religious
Voltaire French writer who mocked government and religion
salon social gathering in which people discuss ideas
Mary Wollstonecraft British writer who championed women’s rights
Enlightenment
Section Summary
THE AGE OF REASON
The Scientific Revolution and the European
exploration of the Americas caused a growing
number of European scholars to challenge
long-held beliefs about science, religion, and
government. They believed the newly developed
power of human reason could be used to increase
knowledge, freedom, and happiness in the world.
This use of reason to define politics and society
defined a period called the Enlightenment.
THE ENLIGHTENMENT’S ROOTS
Enlightenment thinkers were influenced by the
ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the
Christian Reformation, the Renaissance, and the
Scientific Revolution. Greek philosophers like
Aristotle believed there was a natural order to the
world. This had been further expanded into the
What do you think was
“enlightened” about the
Enlightenment?
Underline the sentence that
indicates how Aristotle inspired
Enlightenment thinkers.
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Name
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Date
Section 1, continued
natural law envisioned by the Romans. Thomas
Aquinas’s demonstration that faith could be
paired with reason caused people to challenge
the church’s authority. Renaissance thinkers had
shifted emphasis from God to individual human
achievement.
Reformers like Martin Luther and scientists like
Galileo had challenged the church’s understanding
of events. They found that church teaching was not
always in line with reality or logic. All this led to a
more secular, or non-religious, view of how society
could be ordered.
NEW IDEAS
French philosophers like Voltaire (vohl-TAYR)
were openly outspoken in their disregard for the
authority of the church and existing governments.
He mocked both government and religion freely in
his writings. He got in trouble for this, of course,
and so spoke passionately against censorship.
Another Frenchman, Denis Diderot (dee-DROH),
edited the first book to collect these ideas, a
multivolume work called the Encyclopedia. It was
banned by the king of France and the pope. People
began to sponsor salons, social gatherings to
discuss ideas.
Though women were still not considered equal
to men, many women sponsored salons. British
writer Mary Wollstonecraft argued in favor of
women’s rights.
What institution had its authority
undermined by the Enlightenment?
Why did the Enlightenment cause
a more secular movement?
In what country did the subject of
women’s rights first surface as a
serious idea?
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Drawing Inferences If you were to hold a salon today,
what would the topics of discussion include? Have students in the
classroom define important topics and discuss ideas on how to resolve
these issues. Remind your students that all ideas are equally valid, but
students must defend their opinions with reasons, and be prepared for
possible disagreement. HSS Analysis Skills CS 1, CR 2, CR 3
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