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The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment. Unit 1: Notes #2 9/11/12 Mr. Welch. The Enlightenment. An intellectual movement during the 18th century that stressed the use of reason, logic, and intellectual thought over emotion and religion

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The Enlightenment

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  1. The Enlightenment Unit 1: Notes #2 9/11/12 Mr. Welch

  2. The Enlightenment • An intellectual movement during the 18th century that stressed the use of reason, logic, and intellectual thought over emotion and religion • Goal: to empower common people to use reason to challenge their gov’ts and religions to guarantee their rights as human beings • Enlightenment thinkers hoped to improve society, law and gov’t

  3. An Influential Thinker • John Locke was an Enlightenment thinker from England • In 1690 he wrote Two Treatises of Government where he stated it was the duty of the gov’t to protect the citizens’“natural rights” • According to Locke these natural rights were life, liberty and property

  4. Idea of Natural Rights • Locke felt individuals enter into society with natural rights and that no gov’t could deny these rights to its citizens • If a gov’t failed in their duty to protect the citizens’ natural rights, then the citizens are justified in changing their gov’t • This idea came to be known as the social contract • The social contract came to justify the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence • The colonists felt that they were unfairly taxed and were not being properly represented in the English Parliament

  5. Signing of the Declaration of Independence

  6. Separation of Powers • The best form of gov’t has separate branches, each w/ certain powers • One branch must check with other branches in order to use their power • This prevents one branch from overpowering the others • This idea was proposed by French Enlightenment think Baron de Montesquieu • Thinkers reasoned that this design best serves the people b/c it keeps the gov’t from becoming too powerful and crushing the rights of the people

  7. Enlightenment in America • Prior to the Revolution, great American thinkers became students of the Enlightenment and Locke • Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, James Madison • Americans used the ideas of self-rule, natural rights, and the social contract to justify independence

  8. Effects of the Enlightenment • May 1776 – The American colonies form their own independent gov’ts and move to have independence declared from England • Thomas Jefferson was appointed to be author of a declaration of reasons for independence • Explaining to the king why they have declared independence • Jefferson drew heavily from the ideas of John Locke • He discussed the natural rights of Americans, calling them “unalienable rights”

  9. Effects Cont. • Locke’s natural rights: life, liberty, property • Jefferson’s: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness • Jefferson reinforced Locke’s idea that a gov’t is formed based on the consent of the people governed • When gov’t abuses its power, the people must abolish it and form a new one that guarantees rights • On July 4, 1776, fifty-seven delegates signed the Declaration of Independence • Committing treason against the English king

  10. Declaration of Independence • Written on July 4, 1776

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