AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Which military tactics did the continental army resort to after the loss of New York?

They applied guerilla warfare tactics and mobilized militia units to combat the British in the forests. They specifically targeted native Americans on the side of the British so they weren't able to navigate, as well as British generals to break down their leadership. They also cut down trees as road blocks, which made the British march more difficult.

Who were the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty?

Secret organizations of men and women who sought to fight British taxes. E.g. were responsible for repealing the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party

What happened in 1788?

The American Constitution was approved

What were the causes of the American Revolution?

The American Revolution was principally caused by colonial opposition to British attempts to impose greater control over the colonies and to make them repay the crown for its defence of them during the French and Indian War (1754-63). Britain did this primarily by imposing a series of deeply unpopular laws and taxes, including the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the so-called Intolerable Acts (1774).

(Source analysis) From the Declaration of Independence, find examples of Enlightenment thought. What do the Americans want? What arguments do they use to explain the need for independence/how do they justify themselves?

- Equal entitlement under the laws of nature (All men are created equal) - Liberty and the pursuit of happiness (John Locke) - "it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security" - The government has a social contract with the people, and if this government fails to uphold it, it is the right of the people to overthrow it - "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury" - People have the right to undergo a trial by duty, a trial which should be handled equally for every person under a universal set of legislations - Democracy - Rightful sovereignty - Taxes and trading barriers should be imposed only under the consent of the responsible government

Who meets in Philadelphia in June and July of 1776 and what is the result of this meeting?

50 delegates from the 13 colonies including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin (NOT George Washington). Here they drafted the American declaration of independence which they signed on July 4 1776.

Who were the philosophes?

A group of intellectuals, literary people, statesmen, scientists, economists, who influenced social reform in the Enlightenment

What was the Sugar Act, when was it enacted and why did the colonists consider it oppressive?

A legislation in 1764 that lowered existing tax on molasses (sugar); however, the act sought to crack down on widespread smuggling. It also strengthened the admiralty of the courts system, shifting prosecutions of smuggling cases from local jury trials to british maritime courts.

What was the idea of the "noble savage"?

A primitive people who have not been corrupted by the religious hypocrisy, inequality and sexual repression of society. Philosophes believe this to be the "natural man" who is far happier than many Europeans

What was the Boston Tea Party?

A protest in which colonists dumped tea in the Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act

Which factors were critical in forcing the British to surrender at Yorktown in 1781?

A variety of factors played a part in Washington's success at Yorktown: - Washington disciplined and trained his army at Valley Forge over harsh winters - The Americans had invented new weapons such as the American Long Rifle, which put a spin on the bullet and increased the accuracy and range - Washington attained valuable intel from a spy in Yorktown who established a relationsship with General Cornwallis - The French fleet surrounded the bay in Yorktown, making a British escape impossible

What was the Declaratory Act?

An act English parliament made which said Britain had total authority over the taxation of the colonies

From an Enlightenment standpoint, define "reason".

Applying scientific methods and logical thinking to understanding life and events.

How did the attitude towards crime and punishment by the end of the enlightenment change and which philosophe spoke for this change?

Cessare Beccaria argued that punishments should serve only as deterrents, not as exercise in brutality - he believed it was absurd, that the state wanted to prevent murder, but committed public murder itself. Capital and corporal punishments were therefore gradually replaced by imprisonment to deprive the freedom of the convicted

Which new type of monarchy emerged in the late eighteenth century?

Enlightened absolutism in which an enlightened monarch ruled based on the principles of natural laws and natural rights

What is understood by natural rights?

Enlightenment thinkers wanted to improve human conditions on earth rather than concern themselves with religion and the afterlife. These thinkers valued reason, science, religious tolerance, and what they called "natural rights"—life, liberty, and property.

Which country was the leading country when it came to new ideas in the 18th century?

France

Who was commander-in-chief of the American Forces?

George Washington

Who defined enlightenment as a "man's leaving his self-caused immaturity"

Immanuel Kant

What was the Continental Army and who was its commander in chief?

It was an assembled army fighting for the 13 colonies against British forces. Established by a resolution of the Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in their revolt against the rule of Great Britain. The Continental Army was supplemented by local militias and volunteer troops that remained under control of the individual states or were otherwise independent. General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the army throughout the war.

What was new about John Locke's idea about man being born with a tabula rasa?

Man being born with a "clean slate" , meaning that our knowledge is derived from our environment, not from heredity. From reason and not faith. Hereby, one could be changed if raised in a different environment.

From an Enlightenment standpoint, define "hope and progress".

Many of the philosophes believed in a new society freed of the shackles of the old. "Hope and progress" were to terms used by the philosophes in describing the upcoming society in which free and liberal people would use reason and logical explanations.

From an Enlightenment standpoint, define "natural law".

Natural law is the idea that everybody has natural rights such as freedom, rights and the pursuit of happiness.

cultural relativism

Not judging a culture, but trying to understand it on its own terms. The travel literature allowed for this method, since european intellectuals began to evaluate their own civilisation relative to others.

What characterized the Loyalists? The Patriots? The rest of the population?

Patriots were people who wanted the American colonies to gain their independence from Britain. They wanted their own country called the United States. People in America felt they weren't being treated fairly by the British. They were being taxed without any say or representation in the British government. Soon cries for "liberty" were being heard throughout the colonies. The Patriots wanted freedom from British rule. Not everyone who lived in the American colonies wanted to break away from the British. There were many people who wanted to stay part of Britain and remain British citizens. These people were called loyalists. They remained loyalists because they felt that their lives would be better off if the colonies remained under British rule. Some of these people were simply afraid to go up against the might of the British army. Others had business interests in England and knew that English trade was important to the economy.

Why is the American Revolution and the American War for Independence not the same thing?

The American Revolution was the process of declaring independence and freeing themselves from the British. The War was the specifik military actions between the British Army and the Continental Army.

Where was the first major battle between the British and the Americans and how did it end?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord broke out in 1775 after years of rising tension between the British and the Americans. The Americans won the battles and proved to the British, that they were a force to be reckoned with.

Why did Britain tax the American colonies on colonial trade? How did the American colonists react to this?

The British had a huge war debt from borrowing money to finance the Seven Years War, and they also wanted to enforce mercantilism. The American Colonists were unhappy with being taxed, but mostly they were dissatisfied with their lack of parliamentary representation in this decision.

What was the Scientific Revolution and how did it effect the philosophes?

The Scientific Revolution was the period in the 17th and early 18th century in which many scientific solutions and answers was determined that answered many of the questions formerly answered by the church. At the same time scientists in this time went from making scientific discoveries in the name of God to understanding the world in a way that the church could not do. The philosophes were impressed by this and their use of "reason" to explains things logically instead of my biblical answers.

Which battle essentially ended America's war for independence?

The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.

What was the Stamp Act, when was it enacted and and how did the colonists react to it?

The Stamp Act was enacted in 1765 and imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies. Dissatisfied with the act, protestors established a Stamp Act Congress, in which they decided to boycott British goods. This can be said to be the first coordinated action by the colonies.

How was divine-right of the monarchs affected by enlightened thought?

The skepticism of enlightenment thought towards religion made people question the authority of monarchs

What was the Treaty of Paris and when was it signed?

The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War. A key point of the treaty: Britain acknowledges the United States (All 13 colonies) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof,

What were the Intolerable Acts, when were they enacted, and why can they be considered the start of the Revolutionary War?

They were laws who made it easier to punish American citizens after the Boston Tea Party. They were enacted in 1774 and were met by huge criticism in America.

What happened to the US prisoners captured when the British landed in New York?

They were put in miserable prison ships in which 9 out of 10 died.

What is meant by skepticism and a secularization of thought in the early Enlightenment age?

To be sceptic and critical of Catholic answers and stories as well as thinking rationally outside of Christian influence.

Can the American Revolution said to be the lead up to the French Revolution? Why or why not?

To some extend. The American revolution served as an example and set the stage for the French Revolution. The French Army that came back from America had drawn inspiration from American ideas of individual liberties and notions of republicanism. The American Declaration of Independence was also a source of inspiration for the french declaration. Many considered the American Revolution to be the embodiment of enlightenment notions. However there were many economic, social, political and religious circumstances in France which prompted a revolution in itself.

What intellectual developments led to the emergence of the enlightenment? Who were the leading figures of the Enlightenment, and what were their main contributions?

Travel literature, the scientific revolution, skepticism toward religion and growing secularization. John Locke and Isaac Newton were especially sources of inspiration for the philosophes. Immanuel Kant: A large part of Kant's work addresses the question "What can we know?" or "Dare to know! Have to courage to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another". The answer, if it can be stated simply, is that our knowledge is constrained to mathematics and the science of the natural, empirical world. It is impossible, Kant argues, to extend knowledge to the supersensible realm of speculative metaphysics. The reason that knowledge has these constraints, Kant argues, is that the mind plays an active role in constituting the features of experience and limiting the mind's access only to the empirical realm of space and time. Rousseau: Time: 1712 - 1778 Main ideas: La nature a fait l'homme heureux et bon, mais la société le déprave et le rend misérable. - Opposed the idea of a representative democracy because he believed it was wrong to put power in the hands of a few people - the best idea would be direct democracy=> "all citizens should meet together and decide what is best for the community and enact the appropriate laws. Any law which was not directly created by the citizens is not valid, and if those laws are imposed on people, that is equivalent to the people being enslaved." Influence: Marie Antoinette build her garden at versaille with inspiration from rousseau's ideas of nature. Key actor in French revolution. Montesquieu: Attack on traditional religion, advocacy of religious toleration, denunciation of slavery, and the use of reason to liberate people from prejudice were some of the content of his work "Persian Letters". His most famous work is however "The Spirit of the Laws" in which he recognized the three basic kinds of governments (republic, monarchy and despotism) and drew inspiration from Englands constitutional monarchy to introduce the seperation of powers. The American constitution would later be based on this concept. Voltaire: Criticized traditional religion but talked about the importance of religious toleration. He was also responsible for the spread of deism, which is the belief that god exists as the creator of the universe, but without being a divine creature that interferes with the world. Rather, the world is run according to its own natural laws. Diderot: He progressed from deism to atheism with the conclusion that "this world is only a mass of molecules". His most famous work was a twenty-eight volume encyclopedia, which included the thoughts of many philosophes and advocated things such as toleration, and a program for social, political and legal improvements that would lead to a more humane and reasonable society. Due to its availability, this work had a huge role in spreading enlightenment thought. Adam Smith: Founder of the modern discipline of economics. In "The Wealth of Nations" established the economic doctrine, laissez-faire, in which the state does not and should not interfere with economic matters and the economic liberty of the individual. He only believed in the three basic government functions; protecting from invasion, defend individuals from injustice and oppression and building public infrastructure. His work laid the foundation for economic liberalism.

What was the Bill of Rights and what were some of its significant amendments?

• A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and private citizens. • The bill of rights is the first ten amendments in the american constitution. The bill of rights was created to secure and protect the general population from the conflicts and the power of the government. . • It is a list of the most important rights every citizen must have. These guaranteed freedom of religion, speech, the press, petition, and assembly, as well as the rights to bear arms, be protected against unreasonable searches and arrests, trial by jury, due process of law, and the protection of property rights.