Enlightenment
Objective: How did the thinkers of the Enlightenment
change or impact society?
Warm-Up:
Read the document in your notes handout and answer
the comprehension questions. Be prepared to share with
a partner and then with the class.
Agenda
Warm-Up: Document and Comprehension Question (8 minutes)
Mini-Lesson: Enlightenment Thinkers and Guided Notes (15 minutes)
Activity: Document Based Questions: Multiple Choice Practice (15 minutes)
Closing: MS Answers and Graphic Organizer (4 minutes)
Two Treatises of Government (1689)
By John Locke
To understand political [government] power, we must consider the condition in which nature puts all men. It is a state of perfect freedom to do
as they wish and to deal with themselves and their possessions as they think fit. They need not ask the permission of any other man…
If man in the state of nature is free, if he is absolute lord of his own person and possessions, why would he give up his freedom to live under the
rules of a government? Why would he put himself under the control of any person or institution? The obvious answer is that our rights in the
state of nature are constantly exposed to the attacks of others. Since most men do not concern themselves with justice, the enjoyment of rights in
the state of nature is unsafe and insecure. As a result, each man joins in society with others to preserve his life, liberty, and property…
Since men hope to preserve [protect] their property by establishing a government, they will not want that government to destroy this goal. When
lawmakers try to destroy or take away the property of the people, or try to reduce them to slavery, they put themselves into a state of war with
the people who can then refuse to obey the laws. When lawmakers try to gain or give someone else absolute power over the lives, liberties, and
property of the people, they abuse the power which the people had put into their hands. It is then the privilege of the people to establish a new
government to provide for their safety and security. These principles also hold true for the ruler who helps to make laws and carry them out…
1) According to John Locke, what is life like in the state of nature (e.g.- without government)?
2) According to John Locke, why do people agree to live under the rules of a government?
3) According to John Locke, what can people do if the government fails to carry out its duties?
4) CRITICAL THINKING- If you were an absolute monarch (a king with total control), how would you feel about the ideas of John Locke?
Another result of the Scientific Revolution was the
Enlightenment. The Enlightenment changed the way people
lived as political and social scholars began to question the workings
of society and government, while rejecting traditional ideas. While the Scientific Revolution focused on the physical world, the
Enlightenment attempted to explain the purpose of
government, and describe the best form of it. The most
influential Enlightenment thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John
Locke, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques
Rousseau.
Descartes: Rene Descartes was a French intellectual who challenged
traditional ideas. He said that human reason was capable of
discovering and explaining the laws of nature and man. The idea of
human reason being superior to tradition led to the beginning of the
Enlightenment, a time of political awakening that became
revolution.
Hobbes: Thomas Hobbes based his theories on government on
his belief that man was basically greedy, selfish, and cruel. In
his book, Leviathan, Hobbes states that life would be a state
of constant warfare without a strong government to control
man's natural impulses. He believed people would enter into a
Social Contract to escape from this. In the Social
Contract, people would exchange most of their freedoms for the
safety of organized society. Once people entered into this
contract, there was no release. Hobbes did not believe in
revolutions, and supported the idea of absolute
monarchs.
Locke: John Locke also based his theories on his
assessment of human nature. However, Locke believed that
people could be reasonable and moral. In his book, Two
Treatises of Government, Locke explained that all
men have Natural Rights, which are Life, Liberty,
and Property, and that the purpose of government was to
protect these rights. Furthermore, Locke states that if
government does not protect these rights, and becomes bad
for the people, then they have a right to revolution. Locke
supported a limited government that protected people's
natural rights.
Montesquieu: Baron de Montesquieu was an Enlightenment
thinker from France who wrote a book called, The Spirit of
the Laws in 1748. In his book, Montesquieu describes what he
considers to be the best government. He states that government
should divide itself according to its powers, creating a Judicial,
Legislative, and Executive branch. Montesquieu explained
that under this system each branch would Check and Balance the
others, which would help protect the people's liberty. The ideas of
Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances can be
seen in the government of the United States.
Voltaire: was a French intellectual who wrote and lectured about
freedom of speech. Voltaire is best known for saying, "I do not
agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your
right to say it." He believed that freedom of speech was the best
weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the
corruption of the French government, and the intolerance of the
Catholic Church.
Rousseau: Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote a book called, The
Social Contract, where he stated that people were basically
good, and that society, and its unequal distribution of wealth, were
the cause of most problems. Rousseau believed that government
should be run according to the will of the majority, which he called
the General Will. He claimed that the General Will would
always act in the best interest of the people.
Enlightenment ideas helped to stimulate people's sense of
individualism, and the basic belief in equal rights. This in
turn led to the Glorious Revolution is Britain, the
American Revolution, the French Revolution, and
the Latin American Revolutions. Some of these
revolutions resulted in government based upon the ideas of the
Enlightenment such as, Great Britain and the United States.
Elsewhere, a few monarchs retained absolute control of their
countries while also enacting reform based on Enlightenment
ideas. These monarchs are called Enlightened Despots. In
Austria, Maria Teresa and her son Joseph II both
introduced reforms based on Enlightenment ideas. They reduced
the tax load on the peasants, provided free education, and ended
censorship in their empire. In Russia, Catherine the
Great introduced similar reforms. She enacted laws for religious
toleration and free education, and also sought the advice of
nobles and peasants in the running of government. However, these
reforms seldom outlived the monarchs who had enacted them.
1.
Speaker A: Good government stresses the
importance of the nation and accepts the
rights of the individual only if the interests
of the individual are the same as those of the
nation.
Speaker B: The person of the king is sacred
and to attack him in any way is to attack
religion itself. The respect given to a king is
religious in nature.
Speaker C: All human beings are born free
and equal with a right to life and liberty. It is
the duty of government to protect these
natural rights of its citizens.
Speaker D: Our goal will not be achieved
by democracy or liberal reforms, but by
blood and iron. Only then will we be
successful. No nation achieves greatness or
unity without the traumatic experiences of
war.
Which speaker’s statement best reflects the
ideas of the Enlightenment?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
2.
“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 ideas expressed in the quotation are
based primarily on the writings of
1. Niccolo Machiavelli
2. Charles Darwin
3. Charlemagne
4. John Locke
3. Writers of the Enlightenment were primarily
interested in
1. changing the relationship between people and their
government
2. supporting the divine right theory
3. debating the role of the church in society
4. promoting increased power for European
monarchs
4. The writings of the Enlightenment
philosophers in Europe encouraged later
political revolution with their support of
1. socialism
2. imperialism
3. the natural rights of man
4. the divine right monarchies
5. The writers and philosophers of the
Enlightenment believed the government
decisions should be based on
1. fundamental religious beliefs
2. the concept of divine right of kings
3. laws of nature and reason
4. traditional values
6. John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau
would be most likely to support
1. a return to feudalism in Europe
2. a government ruled by a divine right
monarchy
3. a society ruled by the Catholic Church
4. a society in which the people chose the
ruler
7.
--Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.
--Everyone has the natural right to life, liberty, and
property.
--Slavery, torture, and religious persecution are wrong.
During which period in European history would the
ideas in these statements have been expressed?
1. Pax Romana
2. Age of Exploration
3. Enlightenment
4. Age of Imperialism
8. Which statement best describes a
change that occurred during both the
Renaissance and the Enlightenment?
1. feudalism became the dominant
political system
2. the use of reason and logic were
discouraged
3. technology and science were
considered unimportant
4. a new questioning spirit and
attitude emerged
9. A major concept promoted by philosophers of the Enlightenment was
the need for
1. a return to traditional medieval ideas
2. the use of reason for rational and logical thinking
3. overseas expansion by western European nations
4. strengthening the power of the organized religions
Share Out
Causes of Enlightenment
Effects of Enlightenment
Homework: DBQ Handout