Chapter 2: The Enlightenment and the American Revolution



Chapter 2: The Enlightenment and the American Revolution

Section 1

Philosophy and the Age of Reason

I. Scientific Revolution Sparks the Enlightenment

a. Scientific Revolution of 1500’s and 1600’s transformed the way Europe looked at world

b. 1700’s Edward Jenner developed vaccine against smallpox

c. Natural Law: rules discoverable by reason.

i. Thought could solve the problems of society by studying human behavior

d. Started to believe in the “power of reason”

II. Hobbes and Locke Have Conflicting Views

a. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke: Two 17th Century English thinkers who were key to the Enlightenment.

b. Hobbes Believes in Powerful Government

i. Hobbes wrote Leviathan

1. Said people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish and if not controlled they would fight, rob, and oppress one another.

2. “Social contract”: an agreement where people gave up their freedom for an organized society.

3. Believed in an absolute monarchy to impose order and compel obedience.

c. Locke Advocates Natural Rights

i. More optimistic

ii. Saw people as basically reasonable and moral.

iii. Natural rights: rights that belonged to all humans from birth (life, liberty, and property).

iv. Two Treatises of Government: Locke said people formed governments to protect their natural rights

v. Glorious Revolution

1. Opposed absolute monarchy

2. James II (unpopular absolute monarch) fled England in 1688

a. Locke proposed that if a government fails its obligations to people’s natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow the government.

III. The Philosophes

a. Montesquieu Advances the Idea of Separation of Powers

i. Studied governments of Europe from Italy to England

ii. Did not believe in monarchy

iii. Wanted to divide the various functions and powers of government among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

iv. Felt each branch should serve as a check on the other two, checks and balances.

b. Voltaire Defends Freedom of Thought

i. He said what he thought

ii. Used his wit to expose the abuses of the day

1. targeted corrupt officials and idle aristocrats

2. with his pen he battled inequality, injustice, and superstition

3. detested slave trade and religious prejudice

iii. French government and Catholic church opposed him

1. He was imprisoned and forced to exile

2. Continued to defend freedom of speech

c. Diderot Edits the Encyclopedia

i. Worked 28 years to produce the Encyclopedia.

ii. Wanted to change the general way of thinking

iii. Denounced slavery and praised freedom of expression, and education for all

iv. French government and Catholic Church saw it as an attack on public morals

d. Rousseau Promotes The Social Contract

i. People in their natural state were basically good

ii. People have a natural innocence that was corrupted by society

iii. Wrote The Social Contract

1. Felt society placed too many limitations on people’s behavior

2. Had faith in “general will” best conscience of the people

e. Woman Challenge the Philosophes

i. Enlightenment slogan: “Free and equal” did not apply to women

ii. Women’s rights limited to home and family

iii. Some felt women’s first duty was to be a good mother but then should be able to decide what was in her own interest without depending on her husband.

iv. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: equal education rights for men and women.

1. Thought women can only participate equally with men in public life if they are educated.

IV. New Economic Thinking

a. Physiocrats: French thinkers that focused on economic reforms. Based thinking on natural laws.

b. Laissez Faire Replaces Mercantilism

i. Allows businesses to operate with little or no government interference.

ii. Supported free trade and opposed tariffs.

c. Smith Argues for a Free Market

i. Adam Smiths’ The Wealth of Nations:

1. free market should be able to regulate business activity

2. supply and demand: whenever there was a need in the market for something manufacturers will make it to make a profit.

3. Supporter Laissez Faire but also felt government had a duty to protect society, administer justice, and provide public works.

Chapter 2: Section 2

Enlightenment Ideas Spread

I. New Ideas Challenge Society

a. Way of thinking

i. Middle Ages most Europeans accepted without question a society based on divine-right rule, a strict class system, and a belief in heavenly reward for earthly suffering

ii. Age of Reason: thought this was unscientific and irrational.

iii. Enlightenment: Just society ensures social justice and happiness in the world.

b. Writers Face Censorship

i. Government and church authorities felt needed to defend the old order.

1. Waged Censorship War: Censorship is restricting access.

a. They banned and burned books and imprisoned writers.

b. Philosophes would often disguise their thoughts in fictional work

c. Ideas Spread in Salons

i. Salons: informal social gatherings where writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas

ii. Started by women who invited a few women over for poetry readings

iii. Madame Geoffrin ran one of the most respected salons

1. Mozart played for her guests

2. Diderot was a weekly at dinners for poets and philosophers

II. Arts and Literature Reflect New Ideas

a. From Grandeur to Charm

i. Baroque:

1. During Louis XIV

2. Paintings that were huge, colorful, and full of excitement

ii. Rococo:

1. Louis XV

2. Moved away from religion

3. Lighter, elegant, and charming

4. Criticized for superficiality

b. The Enlightenment Inspires Composers

i. Classical music was created

ii. Mid-1700’s growing middle class could afford to pay for concerts performed publicly

iii. Bach

1. Devout German Lutheran

2. Wrote beautiful, religious works

iv. Mozart

1. Child prodigy

2. Wrote operas, symphonies, and religious music

3. Helped define new style of composition

4. Died of poverty at age 35

c. The Novel Takes Shape

i. 1700’s people liked reading straightforward prose

ii. Novels: long works of prose fiction

III. Enlightened Despots Embrace New Ideas

a. Absolutism: a monarch had unlimited power

b. Enlightened despot: a monarch who used his powers to bring political and social change.

c. Frederick II Attempts Reform

i. AKA Frederick the Great

ii. King of Prussia 1740-1786

iii. Had extreme control but saw self as “first servant to the state,” with a duty to work for the common good.

iv. Praised Voltaire. Allowed free press and reduced use of torture

v. Tolerated religious differences

d. Catherine the Great Studies Philosophes’ Works

i. Empress of Russia

ii. Praised Voltaire and Diderot

iii. Believed in equality and liberty

iv. Abolished torture and allowed religious freedom

e. Joseph II Continues Reform

i. Emperor of Austria

ii. Traveled in disguise to hear problems of his people

iii. Allowed freedom of religious, started free press, attempted to bring Catholic Church under royal control

iv. Abolished serfdom: unfree peasant under feudalism

1. Feudalism: Form of government where monarchy controls lands through agreements with regional leaders

v. When he died his measures were cancelled

IV. Lives of the Majority Change Slowly

a. Majority of people were peasants and their lives were mostly unchanged

b. By late 1700’s, however, radical ideas about equality and social justice finally came

c. 1800’s war and political upheaval transform peasant life

Chapter 2: Section 3

Birth of the American Republic

I. Britain Becomes a Global Power

a. Controlled trade in 1500’s and 1600’s

b. Favorable climate to business and commerce

c. 1700’s winning side of European conflicts

d. Territory expanded in 1801

e. George II

i. Ruled in 1760

ii. Chose his own ministers, dissolved the cabinet, made Parliament follow his will.

iii. Asserted leadership but his policies were disastrous

II. The 13 Colonies in the Mid-1700’s

a. 13 colonies up and running by 1750.

b. Linked North America to West Indies, Africa, and Europe

c. Colonists felt entitled to rights of English citizens and exercised control over local affairs.

III. Colonists Express Discontent

a. Colonists Rebel against Britain

i. King George and Parliament imposed greater taxes on colonists after wars left them in great debt

ii. Colonists protested, “No taxation without representation”

iii. Boston Massacre:

1. Colonists were throwing snowballs and stones at soldiers. Soldiers fired at them and 5 colonists died

iv. Boston Tea Party:

1. Angry colonist through 18,000 pounds of tea into Boston harbor.

v. Continental Congress: Representatives from the colonies gathered to decide what to do

b. Colonists Declare Independence

i. April 1775 War began in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts

ii. War known as Revolutionary War or American Revolution

iii. Continental Army created

1. George Washington in command

iv. Second Continental Congress met and declared Independence from Britain

v. Declaration of Independence:

1. Written by Thomas Jefferson

2. Ideas from John Locke:

a. Natural rights to life, liberty, and property

b. People had the right to alter or abolish unjust governments

c. Popular sovereignty: all government power comes from the people

3. Adopted on July 4, 1776

IV. The American Revolution Continues

a. Britain’s advantages:

i. Large number of trained soldiers, huge fleet, greater resources

ii. 1/3 American colonists were loyalists, those who supported Britain

iii. Colonists didn’t have resources, little money to pay soldiers, and no strategic plan

iv. Created alliance with Native American groups

v. Offered enslaved people freedom if willing to fight for them

b. Colonist’s advantages:

i. Use to geography

ii. Strong leader, George Washington

iii. Fierce determination to fight for their ideals of liberty

c. France Provides Support

i. When Colonists beat Britain in Battle of Saratoga, the French were persuaded to join American forces

ii. Gave Americans supplies, trained soldiers, French warships

iii. Netherlands and Spain also began to support

d. Treaty of Paris Ends the War

i. In 1781 after British defeat at Yorktown, British war effort crumbled

ii. 2 years later American, British, and French diplomats signed Treaty of Paris

1. Ended war

2. Recognized independence of USA

V. A New Constitution

a. Articles of Confederation:

i. 1st constitution

ii. Too weak to rule effectively

b. Enlightenment Ideas Have Great Impact

i. Framers of the constitution studied history and absorbed ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau.

ii. Wanted elected officials rather than hereditary monarch

iii. George Washington 1st president

iv. Federal Republic:

1. Power divided between the federal, or national, government and the states.

2. Seperation of powers:

a. 3 branches: (Idea taken from Montesquieu)

i. Legislative

ii. Executive

iii. Judicial

3. Checks and Balances: Way to make sure no one branch has too much power

v. Bill of Rights

1. First 10 amendments to the Constitution

2. Recognized that people had basic rights that the government must protect

vi. Bill of Rights and Constitution became the supreme law of the land

c. Symbol of Freedom

i. Symbol of freedom to European countries and reformers in Latin America

ii. Copied and adapted by many countries throughout the world

iii. 17889 revolution in France toppled monarchy in the name of liberty and equality

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