The Enlightment

Why was Oliver Cromwell bad for England?

He took over the country and beheaded the king to become a dictator. The years of his rule were troubled and violent.

Why did the colonists protest the new taxes?

People in England did not have to pay the taxes.

Enlightened despots

(a despot is a ruler with absolute power) They tried to make life better for commoners.

Salon

A social gathering held to discuss ideas

Why was James II an unpopular king?

As a Catholic, he tried to promote his religious beliefs in England, a Protestant country.

What two colonial leaders were important in voicing the colonists' complaints?

Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was a farmer, scientist and scholar. What does this say about him?

It says that he was talented in many things.

Who was the main author of the U.S. Constitution?

James Madison

What three men had ideas that led to the creation of modern democracy?

John Locke, Charles-Louis Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Describe the Enlightment thinkers of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau?

John Locke: Government's power is limited. People have natural rights, such as life, liberty, and property. Charles-Louis Montesquieu: The powers of governments should be separate into separate branches. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Governments should express the will of people. People enter into a social contract with their government, giving it the right to create and enforce laws.

What did Locke say was the purpose of the government?

Locke thought that the government existed only for the public good of people.

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Locke's concept of natural rights is seen in the Declaration of Independence idea that people are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.

How did the European monarchs justify their positions?

Many monarchs believed that they ruled through divine right.

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Nobles paid few taxers and had government positions.

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Religion is not the only place to find explanations of the natural world.

What inspired the Enlightment concept of progress (humans can improve their own world)?

Renaissance humanists

What did Mary Wollstonecraft argue?

She argued that women should have the same rights as men.

What is the Enlightment also known as?

The Age of Reason

Why did early Americans make the Articles of Confederation weak?

The Americans were afraid that a strong central government would be too much like monarchy.

How do we see Montssquieu's ideas in the U.S. Constitution?

The Constitution divided power among three branches of government.

Approved in 1689, this was a new set of rights for Parliament and the English people.

The English Bill of Rights

What were the ideas of the Enlightment?

The ability to reason is what makes humans unique. Reasons can be used to solve problems and improve people's lives. Reason can free people from ignorance, superstition, and unfair government. The natural world is governed by laws tat can be discovered through reason. Like the natural world, human behavior is governed by natural laws. Governments should reflect natural laws and encourage education and debate.

How did British government raise money for war with France?

They created new taxes in the colonies.

How did the English restore order to their country in 1660?

They invited the dead king's son to return and rule England as Charles II.

Reign of Terror

a period of time where thousands of people were executed with the guillotine

What two empires inspired Enlightment thinkers?

ancient Greek and Romans

Who was in the third estate in French society?

common people such as peasants, craftworkers, and shopkeepers

In the 1600s and the 1700s, what caused many scholars to challenge old beliefs?

discoveries made during the Scientific Revolution and the voyages of discovery

separation of powers

each branch of government is limited by the others

What freedom was Voltaire protecting in his quote about defending "your right to say it"?

freedom of thought

Who were the leaders of countries in Europe in the 1600s?

kings, queens, and emperors

Magna Carta

limited a ruler's power and recognized some rights for the people

What did Locke say the rights of life, liberty, and property are?

natural rights

Secular

non-religious

What did people use instead of religious teachings to explain how the world worked?

reason, or logical thought

natural law

the idea that a law governed how the world operated

popular sovereignty

the idea that governments should express the will of people