Enlightenment

Review- Renaissance and Scientific Revolution

• The Enlightenment - an intellectual and cultural movement that stressed the importance of intelligence
• The Enlightenment grew out of the Renaissance, Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution.

What was the Renaissance?

• Golden Age of arts and literature in Western Europe
• Rebirth of classical learning

What was the Scientific Revolution?

• Scientists begin to question traditional beliefs
• Use of logic and reason, observation and experimentation

Roots of the Enlightenment

• Like all of these other movements, much Enlightenment thinking challenged accepted beliefs.
• What’s new?: Enlightenment philosophers wanted to use the ideas and reason of the Scientific Revolution for problems in government and society.
• Wanted to examine human life using reason and rational thought
• Reason = the Ability to think logically about something

The Salons

• In France, philosophers championed the idea of reason in government.
• Philosophers often gathered in informal meetings, called salons. There they exchanged and debated ideas for hours.
• What is the proper role of government?
• Do all people have natural rights? If so, what are they?
• Are men and women truly equal?
• How can society be improved through reason and science?
• Gatherings like these helped to shape and spread the ideas of the Enlightenment.

What a concept!

• Enlightenment thinkers rejected authority and upheld the freedom of individuals to think for themselves.

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Enlightenment and Government

• Enlightenment thinkers criticized accepted ideas about government.
• Some questioned the medieval belief in the divine right of kings [the idea that God chose a country’s king, and that the king got his authority from God.]
• Many Enlightenment thinkers stressed individual rights that governments must respect.
• Enlightenment thinkers also felt that people should have a say in their government.

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Enlightenment and Religion

• Enlightenment thinkers believed humans were capable of discovering truth for themselves.
• Many believed in an all powerful deity (or God), but not in a specific church or holy book. Some called themselves Deists [Dee-ists].
• Right and Wrong should be based on rational insight.

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Change in Beliefs

• Roots of Enlightenment changed the way people thought about lives and world
• Reason prized over authority, people questioned everything including basis of religion, morality, and government
• Resulted in the move away from absolutism and divine right (religion) and toward democracy and individual rights

People

Thomas Hobbes

• Hobbes believed people are naturally selfish, cruel, and greedy.
• In 1651, he published a book called Leviathan. In this book, he wrote that people are driven by a restless desire for power.
• Laws and government are needed to keep order
• Governments protected people from their own selfishness
• His idea: Governments were created to protect people from their own selfishness.

Hobbes continued….

• Later Enlightenment thinkers might not have agreed with Hobbes…
• But, he was important because he was one of the first thinkers to apply reason to the problem of politics
• His ideas may sound harsh, but it was based on his own observations of human nature and reasoning.

John Locke: Social Contract and Natural Rights

• He wrote Two Treatises of Government in 1690.
• He believed the purpose of government was to protect people’s natural rights.
• He said government should protect,”life, liberty, and property—against the injuries and attempts of other men.”

John Locke: Social Contract and Natural Rights

• His idea: The true basis of government was a social contract between people and their government. If the government didn’t respect people’s rights, it could be overthrown.
• In exchange protection, people gave government the power to rule on their behalf. We call this idea the “consent of the governed.”
• Lasting Impact: the idea that government could be overthrown if it failed to respect people’s rights had wide influence and was ultimately echoed in the American Declaration of Independence.

Locke’s ideas in England

• Locke was in favor of constitutional monarchies.
• This meant laws or a constitution limited the power of the monarchs (or kings).
• In 1689, the English set down a new set of rules called the English Bill of Rights.
• English Bill of Rights - strengthened the power of the people and their representatives in Parliament (an English congress.)

Montesquieu: Separation of Powers

• Like Locke, Montesquieu was concerned with how to protect liberty from a bad government.
• He Wrote The Spirit of Laws in 1748. In this book, he described how governments should be organized.
• His idea: The separation of powers
• By dividing different powers among more than one branch of government, no one group in the government could grow too powerful.

Montesquieu continued….

• Each branch of government checked the other branches. When powers were not separated this way, Montesquieu warned, liberty was soon lost. He said: “When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person…, there can be no liberty.”
• Lasting Impact: He greatly influenced the men who wrote the U.S. Constitution. We now have a separate legislative (Congress), judicial (courts), and executive (President) branch.

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End

Voltaire: Religious tolerance and free speech

• Voltaire was an Enlightenment writer.
• His most famous novel was Candide, in which he poked fun at old religious ideas.
• Voltaire was especially concerned with freedom of thought and expression.
• His idea: He had a strong belief in religious tolerance and free speech. Tolerance means the acceptance of different beliefs and customs.

Voltaire Continued…

• Voltaire said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
• Lasting Impact: Voltaire met Benjamin Franklin, and when the U.S. Bill of Rights was written, the ideas of freedom of religion and freedom of speech were added to our 1st amendment to the Constitution.

Cesare Beccaria: The Rights of the Accused

• In the Middle Ages, torture of criminals was common. The rack was often used, as well as devices like thumbscrews.
• Beccaria, an Italian, wrote a book called On Crimes and Punishments in which he argued against brutal punishments.

Beccaria continued….

• His ideas: A person accused of a crime should receive a fair and speedy trial.
• Torture should never be used. Capital Punishment (death sentences) should be done away with.
• This means that “punishment should fit the crime” and not be more than necessary to stop someone else from doing it again.

Beccaria’s impact

• Beccaria’s ideas were adopted straight into our Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
• In fact our 8th amendment prevents “cruel and unusual punishment” for crimes
• Our 6th amendment provides for a speedy trial. (The only exception is the Death Penalty, which we still have in the United States today.)

New Economic Ideas

• Some enlightened thinkers attempted to solve the economic problems of the day in the same manner that others tried to solve political problems.
• They argued that there were natural laws of economics, just as there were natural laws for society/gov’t
• These thinkers rejected mercantilism and promoted laissez faire economic practices.
• In a laissez faire economy, the government does not interfere with the operations of business.

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Mercantilism required government regulation of the economy to achieve a favorable trade balance.

Laissez Faire = Hands Off

Adam Smith

• Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, in which he argues for a free market without government interference.
• He believed that the forces of supply and demand should run the market—
• Whenever there was a demand for goods or services, suppliers would try to meet that demand in order to gain profits.
• Though Smith believed the government should stay out of the economy, he believed that it had a duty to protect society, administer justice, and provide public works.

Impact of the Enlightenment

• Major influence of the leaders of American Revolution

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• Tackled both social and political issues, effecting several later societies, including America

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• Declaration of Independence uses ideas that John Locke had about natural rights and purpose of govt

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John Adams�(1745-1826)

Ben Franklin�(1706-1790)

Thomas Jefferson�(1743-1826)

Frederick II of Prussia

• Ruled Prussia from 1740-1786

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• Enlightenment thinkers liked Frederick as a leader because he refered to himself as a “servant of the state”

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• Made several reforms including:

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• Making legal system more just
• Greater freedom of the press
• Improvements in education
• Outlawed torture

Joseph II of Austria

• Ruled from 1780-1790

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• Supported several reforms based on principles of equality and freedom:
• Abolished serfdom
• Allowed freedom of the press
• Allowed freedom of worship
• Outlawed torture and death penalty

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• Many changes opposed by Nobles and didn’t last past Joseph’s death

The American and French Revolutions

• Both America and France had revolutions overthrowing their kings. However, the revolution in France was much more violent.

The Enlightenment in America

• Enlightenment ideas had a major influence on the leaders of the American Revolution.
• English leaders in America shared with John Locke the traditions of the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights.
• When the Americans rebelled in 1775, they pointed to the abuse of their rights by the English king.
• The Declaration of Independence echoed Locke’s ideas on natural rights and the purpose of government.

“We the People”

• Other Enlightenment ideas can be seen in the U.S. Constitution. America’s basic law includes Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers.
• The Bill of Rights protects the freedom of religion and speech championed by Voltaire. It also includes some of the rights supported by Beccaria, such as the right to a speedy trial.

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Enlightenment in France

• In 1789, revolution broke out in France.
• The National Assembly adopted the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.
• This document talked about liberty and equality.
• It upheld the rights to own property, and freedom of speech and religion.

Enlightened Women

• Mary Astell
• Wrote A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694)
• Questioned the lack of educational opportunities for women
• Criticized the unequal relationship between men & women in a marriage

Mary Wollstonecraft

• An English writer. In 1792, she argued that women deserved the same rights and opportunities as men.
• Wollstonecraft believed education was the key for women wanting equality and freedom. She inspired many later leaders of the women’s rights movement in America.

Abigail Adams

• Wife to John Adams, who was a leader of the American Revolution and later President.
• She reminded John not to forget women in the Revolution. “Remember, all men would be tyrannts if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to start a rebellion…we will not hold ourselves bound to any Laws in which we have no voice.”