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Class 21: Political Philosophy; French and American Revolutions

Class 21: Political Philosophy; French and American Revolutions. Ann T. Orlando 15 March 2006. My view and how it is different from Bokenkotter. “In many ways the French Revolution was the climax of the Enlightenment” p. 280

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Class 21: Political Philosophy; French and American Revolutions

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  1. Class 21: Political Philosophy; French and American Revolutions Ann T. Orlando 15 March 2006

  2. My view and how it is different from Bokenkotter • “In many ways the French Revolution was the climax of the Enlightenment” p. 280 • American system of government and liberal American culture are the climax of the Enlightenment • Most ‘Enlightened’ person was T. Jefferson

  3. British in America: 17th C • Spain and Portugal had already laid claim to the best land in the Western Hemisphere in the 16th C • Leaving England, Holland and France to scramble for less desirable northern lands • From Gonzales, The Story of Christianity, Vol 2, p.218 (trying to balance Black Legend) • Puritans no more tolerant than the Inquisition • Spanish wanted Indians for their labor, so did not exterminate them; • British wanted the land and so did engage in a process of extermination and containment (both before and after the Revolution)

  4. British Colonies: 17th C • Virginia: Established 1607 by Virginia Company to develop agriculture; Church of England and Puritans • Carolinas: 1663, Established by aristocrats in England; needed to encourage settlers; John Locke wrote the Constitution • Georgia: Founded to stop the Spanish in Florida; Anglican; populated by debtors as alternative to jail • Maryland: Granted to Lord Baltimore by Charles I in 1632 as a way to find support among Catholics in England • Pennsylvania: William Penn and Quakers • New Jersey: Puritan • New York: First Dutch, Reformed, then Anglican • New England: Settled by Pilgrims for expressly religious, rather than economic, purposes; refuge from Charles I • Congregationalism an outgrowth of Puritan (John Cotton 1584-1662) • Harvard College 1636; motto “Truth for Christ and the Church”

  5. American Colonies: Early 18th C Great Awakening • Revival movement that started in Britain; quickly spread to America • Pietistic, Anabaptist origins • Encouraged personal religious experiences (Jonathan Edwards) • Baptism was a sign that one had had such an experience • Movement embraced all 13 colonies • Supporters of Movement: Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists became largest denomination in US by end 18th and in 19th C • Those opposed, Anglicans, Quakers, Congregationalists lost membership

  6. Philosophical Giant: John Locke • Epistemology: how do we know? • Through our senses and more specifically our experiences • At birth mind is a blank slate • Simple ideas come from senses, mind builds more complex ideas from simple ones • But experience can be communal; does not have to be personal • Theology; deeply religious, believed that revelation was ‘real’ • Above human reason (revelation) • Contrary to reason • According to reason • Political Science • Man born with God-given rights of life, liberty and possessions (broadly defined) • Second Treatise on Government profoundly influential • Letter on Toleration • Strongly believed in natural law as basis for human laws: Carolina Constitution

  7. 18th C French and American Political Philosophy • Based upon John Locke • Puritan sermons in 18th C America frequently referred to “the great Mr. Locke” • Voltaire considered Locke one of the most important men of the previous generation • One of Jefferson’s three heroes (the other two being Bacon and Newton) • John Adams thought John Locke one of most important men who ever lived • Emphasize individual liberty and rights over duty to society • Importance of written Constitutions as contract between people and Government

  8. American Revolution:New Political Structures • American Revolution (1776-1781), based on philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704) • Champion of individual rights • Religious toleration • Not clear (still isn’t) what is relation between religion and politics in America • Most States had an official religion; see for instance John Adams’ Constitution of Massachusetts; oldest written Constitution still in use • First Amendment to Constitution says only that Congress will not establish a religion; • Thomas Jefferson extends this to separation of Church and State (1802)

  9. French Revolution (1789-1799):Extreme Enlightenment • Impetus comes from group of 18th C French philosophers: philosophes (Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Turgot, Condorcet) • Philosophes embraced John Locke and science; encouraged by American Revolution • Franklin, Paine, Jefferson and Adams in France; • Adams writes against Turgot and Condorcet and notion of progress without sense of duty • Jefferson supports them and the Terror • Enlightenment philosophy as a weapon against ‘throne and altar’ • ‘Smile of Reason’ turns into glare of tyranny • Individual rights and toleration get replaced by suspicion of ‘enemy of people’ and a new ‘religion’; active persecution of Church • Just before the Terror an important defector from Enlightenment: Voltaire; but a defection to skepticism (we really can’t know anything) and disengagement from society

  10. Conditions of the French Revolution • Political division in France, three estates: • First Estate: Clergy; really upper clergy of Bishops and Abbots; special privileges based on rank • Second Estate: Nobility; also special privileges based on birth and position in society • Third Estate: Everyone else (c. 25M people, other two combined are less than 500,000) • Revolution sparked by economic crisis of 1789; France was bankrupt due to wars and over-reach by Louis XIV and Louis XV • Increased taxes on third estate • Rampant Inflation • Success of American Revolution

  11. Liberal French Revolution Time Line • Tennis court Oath June 20, 1789 • Louis XVI could no longer rule by divine right • Third Estate met as National Assembly • First Estate (Church) votes with Third Estate • Bastille stormed, 14 July 1798, when Louis XVI tried to reassert his powers • Beginning of cahiers (petitions) to sell Church land and Ecclesial reforms • Civil Constitution of Clergy, 1790 • Pope Pius VI refused to allow clergy to accept Civil Constitution of the Clergy, 1791 • Resulted in 2 Churches, those who took the oath and those who did not

  12. Radical French Revolution Time Line • German princes (Prussians and Hussites) invade France to put down rebellion (and also to reclaim lands from 30 Years War) • Catholic ecclesial support for this • More radical elements in the Revolutionary movement take control, August 1792; explicitly dechristianizing: Deism takes over • All clergy who did not take oath, deported or killed • Goddess of Reason setup in Notre Dame Cathedral • Christian calendar suppressed; 10 day week; months given new names • Robespierre advances cult of Supreme Being • King and Queen executed 1793; Robespierre executed 1794 • By 1794 Revolution was burning itself out

  13. End of Revolution: Napoleon • Napoleon invaded northern Italy in 1796 • In 1797, Pius VI taken prisoner; dies on his way to France • Pope Pius VII elected in 1799; managed to negotiate a truce with Napoleon • Concordat of 1801

  14. Why was (is) the Church so Traumatized by French Revolution • Recall France as eldest daughter of Church • Pepin Short • Charlemagne • In 17th and 18th C France most powerful Catholic country • The radical, violent rejection of revealed religion • Echoes of this still in Ecclesial writings

  15. Adams and Jefferson • The real Enlightenment Revolution was the American Revolution • Successful • American Culture dominates most of the world • John Adams (1735-7/4/1826) • Massachusetts, Puritan then Unitarian, Harvard; second President • Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) • Virginia, Episcopalian then deist/atheist, William and Mary; third president • Both wrote Declaration of Independence; close friends in France; bitter enemies over election of 1800; renew friendship in old age; both die on 50th anniversary of signing Declaration of Independence; 4 July 1826

  16. American Election of 1800 Choice over: Adams vs. Jefferson: Role of Religion in Society and American view of French Revolution

  17. Reading • 1. Bokenkotter, Chapters 24 • 2. John Locke A Letter Concerning Toleration available at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer- reldem?id=LocTole.xml&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/p arsed&tag=public&part=all • 3. John Locke Two Treatises of Government in Paul Hyland. The Enlightenment, A Sourcebook and Reader. London: Routledge, 2003. 153-161. • 4. Thomas Jefferson Letter to Danbury Baptist Association available at http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html • 5. John Adams. Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Preamble and Part I Available athttp://www.mass.gov/legis/const.htm • 6. Civil Constitution of Clergy available at http://history.hanover.edu/texts/civilcon.htm • 7. St Just Republican Institute available at http://history.hanover.edu/texts/stjust.html • 8. Short Paper on Enlightenment

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