The Enlightenment & American Revolution

Navigation Acts

-1651 British Parliament passed a trade law -prevented colonists from selling valuable products anywhere but Britain -high taxes also placed on items imported from anywhere but Britain

Battle of Lexington

-1775 Lexington, Massachusetts -under the command of a Virginian named George Washington, the American Colonists exchanged gunfire with British -Beginning of American Revolution

Declaration of Independence

-1776 the Second Continental Congress issued this document written by Thomas Jefferson firmly based off of John Lockes ideas -Natural Rights -Document declared separation from Britain

Checks and Balances

-3 branches: legislative, executive, judicial -no one branch had power over the others

Beccaria

-Abolishment of torture -Italian philosopher -based off of idea that government should seek the greatest good for the people

Stamp Act

-American Colonists benefited from the British win of the French and Indian War & wanted them to help pay for the expenses -americans were outraged because this violated "taxation without representation"

causes of the American Revolution

-American Colonists were outraged from high taxes -taxation without representation

The Enlightenment

-Americans used enlightenment ideas to justify independence -they wanted the same political rights that that a social contract guarantees

Separation of Powers

-Baron de Montesquieu -no power should be in the hands of one group -even spread power

Abolishment of Torture

-Beccaria -Government must do whats in the best interest of the whole people -degree of punishment based off of crime severity (no unusual punishment)

Bill of Rights

-Federalists added 10 amendments to the constitution to directly protect rights of speech and religion

French and Indian War

-French were also colonizing in North America but the British had conflict with them -The French enlisted many Native American tribes to fight with them however the British won

Right to Rebel

-If government violates citizens natural rights, then the people have the right to gain them back by overthrowing their leader/electing a new leader

Natural Rights

-John Locke -people have the natural ability to look after the welfare of their society -all people have equal rights to life, liberty, property

What enlightenment ideas and thinkers influenced the US Constitution?

-John Locke's freedom of life, liberty, and happiness were greatly shown in the US Constitution

What Enlightenment ideas and Enlightenment thinkers inspired the Declaration of Independence?

-John Lockes ideas of natural rights heavily influenced the declaration of independence.

Thomas Hobbes

-Leviathan: all humans are naturally selfish and wicked -people need a strong ruler to control them -social contract (gave rights to keep control)

John Locke

-Natural rights: life, liberty, property -criticized monarchy and supported self government

Social Contract

-Thomas Hobbes -People give rights to the government for order and control

Freedom of Thought and Expression

-Voltaire -all people have the right to say what they want

Religious Freedom

-Voltaire -government shouldn't control peoples right to believe what they want

What Enlightenment ideas and Enlightenment thinkers influenced the Bill of Rights?

-Voltaire's ideas contributed to protecting freedom of speech, religion, and expression as in the Bill of Rights.

Women's Equality

-Wollstonecraft -women need to have equal education and represent a workforce

Wollstonecraft

-Womens equality 1700s -A Vindication of the Rights of Woman -urged women to enter male dominated fields of life

Articles of Confederation - Why was it considered weak?

-a loose confederation that created a weak national government. -each state only had one congress vote -no power to collect taxes or regulate trade -passing laws was difficult

Federal System

-a system where power was divided between national and state governments

Legacy of Enlightenment

-belief in progress -enlightenment thinkers opened the door of the growth of scientific knowledge which spread to all other fields of knowledge

Rousseau

-committed to individual freedom -believed that the only good government is chosen/formed by the government -his ideas inspired French Revolution

Boston Tea Party

-filled with anger, Americans dumped the highly taxed British tea into a harbor

Voltaire

-freedom of thought and expression -religious freedom -he often used satire against the clergy, aristocracy, and the government

The Constitution

-leaders realized the need for a strong government -1787 Congress passed a constitutional convention to revise the articles -55 delegates met and over time developed a new type of government involving checks and balances

Enlightenment

-mid 1700s -a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought

Montesquieu

-separation of powers -believed that the British government should not be controlled by one group but spread evenly -later developed into "checks and balances"

Philosophes

-social critics of the enlightenment

What was the purpose of the Bill of Rights

-the Bill of Rights protected all peoples natural rights

What important ideas were created in the constitution?

-the constitution put enlightenment ideas into practice

Thomas Jefferson

-virginia statesman that supported enlightenment ideas and wrote the Declaration of Independence