Glorious Revolution,

Enlightenment and the

American Revolution
Background Glorious Revolution
1485-1603: Tudor Rule over England
Believed in Divine Right but also recognized having good relations with parliament
Queen Elizabeth I dies without a direct Heir
Stuarts take over:
Believed in Divine Right but continuously clashed with parliament:
English Civil War: 1642 1649: King Charles I executed
Commonwealth:
After the execution of Charles I, the House of Commons abolished the monarchy, the
House of Lords, and the official Church of England. It declared England a republic,
known as the Commonwealth, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell.
In executing the king, parliamentary forces sent a clear signal that, in England, no
ruler could claim absolute power and ignore the rule of law.


Background Glorious Revolution
Commonwealth:
1652: Law passed exiling Catholics to Ireland
1653: Cromwell takes title, Lord Protector and rules through army to
put down radical groups that pose threat
Puritan social revolution takes place
1658 Cromwell dies as well as the Commonwealth
1660: Monarchy is restored by inviting Charles II back to England to
rule
Many puritan ideas that emerged would later play a role in shaping of
United States
Glorious Revolution
1685: James II inherits throne
Clashes with parliament
1688: Mary and William III of Orange (both Protestant) are invited to rule
James II flees to France
Bloodless overthrow becomes known as Glorious Revolution
English Bill of Rights 1689 are passed by Parliament
Created new type of government known as limited monarchy
What is the Enlightenment?
synonyms: insight, understanding, awareness, wisdom, education, learning,
knowledge;

Scientific Revolution (1500s & 1600s) results in many successes which lead
educated Europeans to believe in the power of human reason:

1. Use human reason to discover natural laws, laws that govern human
nature
2. Use scientific methods to solve problems of society
Key Ideas of the Enlightenment: Political
Thomas Hobbes
People are naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish.
People entered into a social contract, in order to live in an
organized society.
Only an absolute monarchy can ensure an orderly society.
John Locke
People are basically reasonable and moral.
People have certain natural rights.
A government has a duty to the people it governs. If a
government fails, the people have the right to overthrow it.
Montesquieu
Separation of powers is the best way to protect liberty
Each branch of government should serve as a check on the
others
The Philosophes and Society
Thinkers called philosophes believed that the use of reason could lead to
reforms of government, law, and society.
Defended the principle of freedom of speech.
Used wit to expose abuses and corruption.
Opposed the slave trade and religious prejudice.
Voltaire
Believed that people were basically good.
Argued that government controls should be minimal and should only be
imposed by a freely elected government.
Felt the good of the community should be placed above individual interests
Rousseau
Argued that a woman should be able to decide what is in her own
interest and should not be completely dependent on her husband.
Called for equal education for girls and boys.
Mary
Wollstonecraft
The Challenge of New Ideas
Government and church officials tried to protect the old order.
To defend against the attacks of the Enlightenment, they used
censorship, the restricting of access to ideas and information.
They banned and burned books and imprisoned writers.
Salons were informal social gatherings where writers, artists,
philosophes, and others exchanged ideas.
Middle-class women gained opportunity to climb social ladder by
hosting salons
Middle-class people could meat with nobility and artists

Literature and the Arts
LITERATURE
Literature developed new forms
and a wide new audience.
Middle class readers enjoyed
stories about their own times.

COURTLY ART
Artists and designers
developed the rococo style,
which was personal, elegant,
and charming.
MUSIC
New kinds of musical entertainment evolved,
such as ballets and operas.
Music followed ordered, structured forms.

Bach, Handel, and Mozart were brilliant and
influential composers of this time.
In the 1600s and 1700s, the arts evolved to meet changing tastes
Pamela, 1740
Enlightened Despots
F
r
e
d
e
r
i
c
k

t
h
e

G
r
e
a
t

Exerted tight control
over subjects, but
saw himself as a
servant of the
state.
Tolerated religious
differences.
Distributed seeds
and tools to
peasants.
C
a
t
h
e
r
i
n
e

t
h
e

G
r
e
a
t

Was interested in
Enlightenment ideas
but intended to give
up no power.
Made some limited
reforms in law and
government.
Granted nobles a
charter of rights.
Criticized the
institution of
serfdom.
J
o
s
e
p
h

I
I

Most radical of
enlightened despots.
Granted toleration
to Protestants and
Jews.
Ended censorship
and tried to control
the Catholic Church.
Sold church property
to build hospitals.
Abolished serfdom.
Enlightened despots were absolute rulers who used their power to bring about
political and social change.
Growth of Constitutional Government
In the century following the Glorious Revolution, three new political institutions arose in
Britain:
1. Political parties emerged in England in the late 1600s. The first political parties, the
Tories and the Whigs, represented small exclusive groups of wealthy men.
2. The cabinet system was a group of advisers to the prime minister. They were called
the cabinet because they met in a small room.
3. The Prime Minister was the leader of the majority party in Parliament and in time the
chief official of the British government.
The appearance of these institutions was part of the evolution of Britains constitutional
government, that is a government whose power is defined and limited by law.
British government was considered an oligarchy
King George III
George III came to power anxious to reassert royal power. He
wanted to end Whig domination, choose his own ministers,
dissolve the cabinet system, and make Parliament follow his will.
Toward these ends, he:
Gave parliamentary seats to his friends and supporters.
Tried to force English colonists in North America to pay the costs
of their own defense.
In 1775, Georges policies in North America triggered the
American Revolution, which ended in a loss for Britain.
13 Colonies
By the mid 1700s, the colonies were home to diverse religious and ethnic
groups. The colonists felt entitled to the rights of English citizens, and their
colonial assemblies exercised much control over local affairs.

Although the ways of life between the colonists of New England and those
in the south differed, the colonists shared common values, respect for
individual enterprise, and an increasing sense of their own identity separate
from that of Britain.
Growing Discontent
1763: End of French and Indian War
King George III and Parliament impose taxes on colonists
No taxation without representation
Parliament would repeal some taxes but not all of them
1770: Boston Massacre
5 colonists are killed
1773: Boston Tea Party
Colonists protested by dumping British tea into Boston Harbor in the Boston Tea
Party.
Parliament passes harsh laws to punish Massachusetts
Rallies other colonies to unite against treatment of Massachusetts

Declaring Independence
Representatives from each colony meet in Continental Congress:
John Adams
George Washington
Congress sets up a Continental Army with George Washington in
command, start fighting in 1775
April 1776, Second Continental Congress declares independence:
Thomas Jefferson writes, Declaration of Independence:
Reflects ideas of John Locke
Emphasizes popular sovereignty, which states that all government power comes
from people
The American Revolution
Things didnt look good for Patriots, many British troops occupied cities, the
British also had professional soldiers, huge naval fleet, money, also not all
colonists were patriots, 1/3 of population were Loyalists
1777: Battle of Saratoga convinces France to join the Americans
1781 Treaty of Paris ends the war:
Britain recognizes United States of America as independent nation
New frontier Mississippi River
A New Constitution
Articles of Confederation too weak, after much debate and
compromise the U.S. Constitution was born in 1787
Constitution based off enlightenment thinkers Locke, Rousseau
and Montesquieu
Social Contract, minimal government, natural rights,
separation of powers
Created federal republic, with power divided between the
federal, or national, government and the states