Chapter 2: The Enlightenment and the American Revolution Section 1: Philosophy in the Age of Reason Scientific Revolution Sparks

the Enlightenment Scientific Revolution took place between 1500s and 1600s Discoveries continued and Europeans became educated on the power of human reason, natural law, which was used to better understand social, economic, and political problems Scientific Revolution lead to the Enlightenment, which was another revolution in thinking Hobbes and Locke Have Conflicting Views Hobbes and Locke were English thinkers during the 17th century Hobbs Believes in Powerful Government Wrote Leviathan, stated how he believed that people were naturally selfish, cruel, and greedy. People need to be strictly controlled and couldnt govern themselves People needed to enter into a social contract to help maintain order in society Governments needed to be powerful: absolute monarchy was best Locke Advocates Natural Rights People were basically reasonable and moral and had certain natural rights, which included: life, liberty, and property Wrote Two Treatises of Government, argued that people created governments to protect their natural rights; best government was one with limited power and was accepted by all citizens Believed that a government has an obligation to the people it governs, if a government failed the people have a right to over through it The Philosophers Thinkers in France believed that the use of reason could lead to reformed governments, laws, and society. They were called philosophes Montesquieu Advances the Ideas of Separation of Powers Studied the government of Europe, read about ancient and medieval Europe, and learned about Chinese and Native American cultures 1748 published, The Spirit of the Laws, where he discussed governments throughout history

 Best way to protect history was to divide the government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial o Each branch should be able to check others, checks and balances Voltaire Defends Freedom of Thought Real name was Franois-Marie Arouet Made jokes about government, and targeted corrupt officials and idle aristocrats Battled inequality, injustice, and superstition; disliked the slave trade and religious prejudice. Disrespected French government and the Catholic Church Diderot Edits the Encyclopedia Produced a 28-volume set of books called the Encyclopedia Purpose: change the general way of thinking by explaining ideas on topics such as government, philosophy, and religion Articles, written by different philosophers including Montesquieu and Voltaire, denounced slavery, praised freedom of expression and urged education for all. Attacked divine right theory and traditional religions More than 4000 copies were printed between 1751 and 1789 and helped spread Enlightenment ideas throughout world Rousseau Promotes The Social Contract Rousseau believed that people in their natural state were basically good and their natural innocence was corrupted by the evils of society 1762 wrote The Social Contract where he stated that society placed too many imitations on peoples behavior, some controls were necessary but they should be kept to a minimal; also only governments that had been freely elected should impose these controls Put faith in the general will or the best conscience of the people, good of community as a whole should be put above individual interests

Women Challenge the Philosophes free and equal did not apply to women By late 1700s a small amount of women protested their views including Germaine de Stael (France), Catherine Macaulay and Mary Wollstonecraft (Britain) all argued that women were being excluded from the social contract itself, but there ideas ridiculed

 Wollstonecraft accepted that a womans first duty was to be a good government but she also felt that a woman should be able to decide for herself without having a husband 1729 Wollstonecraft published Vindication of the Rights of Woman o Believed in education for girls and boys New Economic Thinking French thinkers were known as physiocrats and based their thinkings off of natural laws Laissez Faire Replaces Mercantilism Physiocrats rejected mercantilism which required government regulation of the economy to achieve a favorable balance of trade Urged a policy of laissez faire and supported free trade and opposed tariffs Smith Argues for a Free Market Scottish economist who greatly admired the physiocrats Wrote The Wealth of Nations where he argued that the free marked should be allowed to regulate business activity Strong supporter of laissez faire but the government had a duty to protect society, administer justice, and provide public works Section 2: Enlightenment Ideas Spread New Idea Challenge Society Ideas were spread throughout Europe. Educated people read the Encyclopedia and other pamphlets and told their friends what they learned In Age of Reason the Enlightenment thinkers thought that a just society should ensure social justice and happiness in the world, not everyone agreed Writers Face Censorship Many government and church officials believed that God would want the old order back and that the Enlightenment was bad. To protect against the attacks of the Enlightenment they waged a war on censorship. They banned books and imprisoned writers Authors would disguise their works in fiction i.e. Animal Farm (not from this time period though) Ideas Spread in Salons

 People would go to salons to talk about new literature, philosophy, etc. Originated in the 1600s when noblewomen in Paris invited friends over to read poems and by the 1700s middle class women started holding salons Arts and Literature Reflect New Ideas During the 1600s and 1700s arts evolved to meet changing tastes From Grandeur to Charm During the age of Louis XIV, courtly art and architecture were either in the Greek and Roman tradition r in a grand ornate style known as baroque. o Often huge, colorful, and full of excitement Louis XV and had a different type of art/architecture called rococo. o Moved away from religion and was lighter, elegant and harming o Encouraged imagination and showed more common scenes The Enlightenment Inspires Composers Elegant style known as classical emerged, ballets and operas were performed in royal courts, and opera houses became popular o More people were able to pay to attend events than before Johann Sebastian Bach: a German, wrote religious works for organ, choirs, violin George Frederic Handel: a German, spent most of life in England, wrote Water Music and other pieces for King George, and over 30 operas; most celebrated piece was Messiah, which combined a variety of interments Franz Joseph Hayden: helped develop forms for string quartet and the symphony Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: started playing as a child, was a celebrity, died at 35 The Novel Takes Shape In 1700s literature changed and audience widened o Middle class liked stories about their own times told straightforwardly o Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe; about a shipwrecked sailor o Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela; used a series of letters to tell about a servant girl

Enlightened Despots Embrace New Ideas Philosophes hoped to convince the ruling classes that reform was necessary Some monarchs did accept Enlightenment ideas while others were against it Those who did accept the new ideas were called enlightened despots

Frederick II Attempts Reform Fredrick the II was known as Frederick the great Persian king from 1740 to 1786 and believed that kings should work for the common good Agreed with Voltaires works and believes He reduced the use of torture and allowed free press, recognized civil servants, simplified laws, tolerated religious differences In the end, he wanted a stronger monarchy and more power for himself Catherine the Great Studies Philosophes Works Catherine the II was known as Catherine the Great Empress of Russia in 1762, and read many different philosophes works to learn about Enlightenment ideas o Agreed with and praised Voltaire and liked Diderot Abolished torture, established religious tolerance, did not intend to give up power, and expanded the empire Joseph II Continues Reform An eager student of the enlightenment and even went through crowds in disguise to find out their problems Modernized Austrias government, supported religious equality for Protestants and Jews in his Catholic empire, and abolished serfdom He sold the property of many convents that were not involved in education or care for the sick and used the proceeds to support those that were. Most of his reforms were canceled after he died Lives of the Majority Change Slowly Many peasants were unchanged by enlightenment and their culture of tradition changed slowly By late 1700s radical ideas about equality and social justice spread into peasant villages. Some people resisted theses new ideas while others were very eager

Section 3: Birth of the American Republic Britain Becomes a Global Power Reasons way Britain gained global prominence:

 Location placed England in a position to control trade, they sent ships across ocean and planted outposts in the West Indies, North America, and India England offered a climate that was favorable business and commerce and put fewer restrictions on trade In 1700s, Britain was generally on the winning side of in European conflicts Englands territories expanded closer to home, 1707 England and Wales became united with Scotland and became UK of Great Britain, Ireland was united in 1801 1760 George III began a 60 year reign he was born in England, spoke English, and loved Britain He wanted to restore the powers of the crown that had been lost but many of his ideas were disastrous The 13 Colonies in the Mid-1700s Colonies were formed by 1750 They were busy commercial centers that linked North America to the West Indies, Africa, and Europe Britain regulated colonies trade and manufacturing, Navigation Act. They were not strictly enforced By mid 1700s the colonies were home to a diverse religious and ethnic groups Colonist Express Discontent The stamp act taxed paper goods and was one of many acts that angered the colonists over their lack of representation in Parliament. No taxation without representation. Colonists Rebel Against Britain In response to the Townshend Acts, troops were placed in Boston to quell protesters. In 1770, British soldiers fired on protesters, killing 5, and angering the colonists who called the event the Boston Massacre. John Adams defended the British soldiers. In response to the Tea Act of 1773, colonists staged the Boston Tea Party. They were punished with the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts. This unified the colonists. The First Continental Congress was called, and attended by representatives from 12 colonies (Georgia did not send representatives). It unsuccessfully petitioned Parliament. Colonists Declare Independence

 Fighting broke out in April 1775 at Lexington and Concord, Mass. when British soldiers marched on the towns to confiscate weapons. George Washington was selected to be the commander of the Continental Army. The Second Continental Congress was called, and included delegates from all the colonies. The president of the Congress was John Hancock. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia passed the motion that the colonies declare independence. The Committee of Five was created to draft the Declaration of Independence and included Benjamin Franklin of Penn, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia (the principle writer), John Adams of Mass, Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Conn. Jefferson included many of Lockes ideas, such as right to life, liberty, and property (although property was exchanged for pursuit of happiness) and popular sovereignty The document was approved in July 1776, declaring America and independent nation. The American Revolution Continues British advantages: larger trained forces, alliances with Native Americans, strong leaders, better technology, better economy, powerful navy American advantages: familiar with geography, did not have to have supplies and soldier shipped across the Atlantic, strong leaders, a cause France Provides Support In 1777, the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga. The victory convinced the French to ally with America which contributed supplies, funds, and trained soldiers to the American cause. Spain and the Netherlands soon allied with America as well. The European companies wanted to weaken powerful Britain. Washington led troops through a difficult winter at Valley Forge in 1777-1778. Treaty of Paris Ends the War In 1781, the French blockaded the sea access to Yorktown, Virginia where the British were encamped. Washingtons forces cut off land access, laying siege to the city and finally forcing Commander Cornwallis to surrender to America. The British did not win any major victories afterwards. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, effectively ending the war and winning Americas independence. A New Constitution

 The Articles of Confederation were drafted to hold the independent states loosely together. They did not grant the limited federal government to regulate trade, raise an army, or tax the colonies. The Articles were too weak. The Constitutional Convention was called in 1787 to rewrite the Articles. Instead they drafted a new document. Washington presided over the convention, and James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton attended. Madison was the principle writer of the Constitution. Enlightenment Ideas Have Great Impact The Framers of the Constitution used the ideas of Locke, Montesquieu (separation of powers into the judicial, executive, and legislative branches and checks and balances), and Rousseau (social contract, legislative power belongs with the people). The Constitution created a federal republic in which power was divided at the national and state levels. The Bill of Rights was added as the first ten amendments to the Constitution as a condition for the states to ratify the Constitution in 1789. Symbol of Freedom The American Revolution and subsequent Constitution proved to be the first successful revolution in history. It inspired revolutions led by Simon Bolivar in Latin America and the French Revolution in 1789. The Constitution has been copied in many other countries.