This document summarizes key ideas, people, and events of the Enlightenment period and their influence on the American Revolution. It discusses philosophers like Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau who developed ideas of natural law, social contract theory, and natural rights that influenced revolutionary thought. Enlightenment thinkers spread new ideas through salons and publications despite censorship. Monarchs like Frederick the Great and Catherine the Great implemented some Enlightenment reforms. Tensions grew in the American colonies as King George III increased control and taxation, culminating in the American Revolution led by figures like Washington and Jefferson who drew on Enlightenment principles in declaring independence and forming a new government based on popular sovereignty.

1. Enlightenment & American
Revolution
Chapter 17

2. Philosophy in the Age of Reason
Section 1

3. Natural Law
• Who: Europeans
• What: rules that are discoverable by reasoning
that governed scientific forces such as gravity &
magnetism
• Where: Europe
• When: 1500s-1600s
• Why: scientific success convinced educated
Europeans of the power of human reason; used
to better understand social, economic, & political
problems; used this to study human behavior &
solve problems = led to the Enlightenment

4. Thomas Hobbes
• Who: 17th century English thinker
• What: set forth ideas that were to become key to
the Enlightenment ; wrote “Leviathan”
• Where: England
• When: 1700s
• Why: he lived through upheavals in the English
Civil War; outlined his ideas in “Leviathan”=
argued that people were naturally cruel, greedy &
selfish; he said that people entered into “Social
Contract” to avoid brutal life; best government=
Absolute Monarchy

5. John Locke
• Who: 17th century English thinker
• What: set forth ideas that were to become key to the
Enlightenment
• Where: England
• When: 1700s
• Why: he thought people were reasonable & moral;
people had certain natural rights: life, liberty, &
property; came to very diff ideas about the human
nature & role of government= government has
obligation to its people, if it fails, it fails the people = if
government violates natural rights = people have a
right to overthrow= American & French Revolutions

6. Social Contract
• Who: European people; Thomas Hobbes
• What: an agreement where people gave up
their freedom for an organized society
• Where: Europe
• When: 1500s-1600s
• Why: Hobbes said that people entered into
this agreement to escape the brutish lifestyle;
believed a powerful government = orderly
society; promoted Absolutism

7. Natural Right
• Who: John Locke
• What: rights that belonged to all humans on
earth such as life, liberty, & property
• Where: England
• When: 1700-1800s
• Why: Locke believed people are reasonable &
moral= they have rights from birth; people had a
right to overthrow a government if these rights
were violated = American & French Revolutions

8. Philosophe
• Who: French Enlightenment
thinkers/philosophers
• What: they believed the use of reason could
lead to reforms of gov’t, law, & society
• Where: France, Europe
• When: 1700s
• Why: this group of thinkers started
Enlightenment thought = spread throughout
Europe & beyond; applied methods of science
to improve society

9. Montesquieu
• Who: an early influential thinker; a philisophe
• What: studied the gov’ts of Europe & learned
about Chinese & Native Am. Cultures; wrote
“Sprit of Laws”
• Where: France, Europe
• When: 1689-1748
• Why: his sharp criticism of Absolutism = debate;
in order to protect liberty the government should
be divided into 3 branches; idea taken by framers
of US Constitution; wrote “Persian Letters”=
ridiculed French Government

10. Voltaire
• Who: a Philosophe, poet & historian
• What: an imprisoned poet, historian, essayist
& philosopher
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1694-1778
• Why: he detested the slave trade; deplored
religious prejudice; defended principle of
freedom of speech; his new ideas= imprisoned
& forced into exile

11. Diderot
• Who: a Philosophe, editor of the Encyclopedia
• What: he produced a 28-volume set of books
called the Encyclopedia
• Where: Europe, the Americas
• When: 1751-1789
• Why: he wanted to change the general way of
thinking by explaining ideas on topics such as
government, philosophy, religion = urged
education for all ; included articles from
Montesquieu & Voltaire; denounced slavery &
praised freedom of expression

12. Rousseau
• Who: Jean-Jacques Rousseau; a Philosophe
• What: created the Social Contract (book) society
placed too many limitations on people’s behavior;
believed that people were basically good
• Where: France
• When: 1762
• Why: believed in good will & best conscience of
the people; he showed great hate for oppression;
his ideas= American & French Revolutions;
influenced social & political reformers for over
200 years

13. Laissez-Faire
• Who: French thinkers; Adam Smith
• What: a policy allowing business to operate
w/ little or no gov’t interference
• Where: France,
• When: 1700-1800
• Why: this rejected Mercantilism= government
controls the economy to reach a favorable
balance of trade; this supported free trade &
opposed tariffs

14. Adam Smith
• Who: Scottish Economist
• What: In his influential work “Wealth of Nations”
he advocated for the free market should be
allowed to regulate business activity
• Where: Scotland, Europe, Americas
• When: 1800-1900s
• Why: he was a strong supporter of Laissez-Faire;
felt government should only administer justice &
provide public work; his ideas= shape productive
economies in 1800-1900s

15. Rococo
• Who: Architect & Designers
• What: Personal, elegant style of art & architecture
made popular that featured designs.
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1600’s-1700’s (mid)
• Why: Rococo art moved away from religion unlike,
Baroque. Rococo was believed to encourage
imagination. Portrait showed noble subjects in
charming rural settings, surrounded by happy servants.
Despite it being criticized it had a vast of people in
upper class & graving middle class.

16. Enlightenment Ideas Spread
Section 2

17. Censorship
• Who: European writers
• What: restricting access to ideas & info
• Where: France, Europe, Americas, Middle East
• When: 1700s
• Why: Authorities had to defend the “Old
order” that God had set up against the
writers’ new ideas= banned all books & burn
books & imprison the writers= writers disguise
their ideas in fiction

18. Salons
• Who: writers, artists ,& philosophers; French
women
• What: an informal social gathering for women in
their homes
• Where: Paris, France
• When: 1600-1700s
• Why: it started in 1600s- noblewomen began
inviting friends to their homes for poetry
readings; by 1700s it flourished- middle class
women are now invited= equal footing = discuss
& spread enlightenment ideas

19. Baroque
• Who: Greek & Romans
• What: Courtly art and architecture were neither
in the Greek and Romans tradition or in a grand,
ornate style.
• Where: Europe
• When: 1600’s-1700’s
• Why: Baroque paintings were huge, colorful, and
full of excitement. They glorified historic battles
or the lives of the saints. Such works matched the
grandeur of the European courts at that time.

20. Enlightenment Despot
• Who: Monarchs, Frederick the Great, Joseph II,
and Catherine the Great
• What: Those that accepted enlightenment ideas.
• Where: Europe
• When:1700’s
• Why: they were absolute rulers who used their
powers to bring about political and social change.
These philosophies convinced rulers that change
and reform was necessary.

21. Frederick the Great
• Who: King of Prussia
• What: Exerted &extremely tight control over his
subjects.
• Where: 1740-1786
• When: Prussia
• Why: He saw himself as the “First servant of the state,”
with a duty to work for the common good. He openly
praised Voltaire’s work. He reduce the use of torture
and allow a free press. He recognized the governments
civil service and simplified laws, the tolerated religious
differences.

22. Catherine the Great
• Who: Catherine II, Empress of Russia, Enlightened
Despot
• What: she believed in the Enlightenment ideas =
Enlightened Despot = used those ideas to bring
about change
• Where: Russia
• When: 1761-
• Why: made limited reforms in law & gov’t,
abolished torture & est. religious tolerance;
granted nobles charter of rights

23. Joseph II
• Who: Maria Theresa’s son & successor;
Enlightened Despot
• What: traveled in disguise among his subjects to
learn about their probs; brought reforms to
Austria (Enlightened Despot)
• Where: Austria
• When: 1700-1800s
• Why: his reforms began to modernize Austria’s
gov’t; supported religious equality for Protestants
& Jews in his Catholic empire

24. American Revolution
Section 3

25. George III
• Who: English King
• What: new English king that set out to restore
powers for England that the crown had lost to the
colonies
• Where: England
• When: 1760-1820
• Why: he set out to reassert royal power over the
colonies; he wanted to end Whig domination;
dissolves cabinet system in colonies ; made
Parliament follow his own will; his policies were
disastrous= colonists MAD; taxing the American
colonies = Revolution!

26. Stamp Act
• Who: King George III vs colonists
• What: an imposed tax on items such as
newspapers & pamphlets
• Where: England to American Colonies
• When: 1765
• Why: the 7 years war/French & Indian war
drained English treasury = King George III
thought the colonies should pay = Sugar Act &
Stamp act (Taxes them) = made the colonists
mad = American Revolution

27. George Washington
• Who: soldier & political & social leader
• What: commander of the continental Army
(Colonists’ army) & 1st president of the USA
• Where: Virginia, Americas
• When: 1732-1789
• Why: led the American Army against the British;
incorporated order & discipline- strong leader; he
enforced strength & determination in the
colonists’ army = they won the American
Revolution= The independent United States

28. Thomas Jefferson
• Who: principal author of Declaration of Independence,
Virginian
• What: he wrote the Dec of Ind- the most important
document to the US
• Where: Virginia, America
• When: 1776
• Why: he reflected John Locke’s ideas of the people’s
rights of life, liberty, property in the Dec of Ind; the
document protected the ppl’s rights of a free country;
this document is the basis of the United States’
freedom & is still present as our freedom today

29. Popular Sovereignty
• Who: John Locke
• What: a theory that states that all gov’t power
comes from the ppl; imp. Part of the Dec of Ind
• Where: Virginia, United States
• When: 1776
• Why : this argued that the colonists had the right
to rebel against unjust gov’ts = Am. Rev. =
Colonists form their own politically sovereign
govt

30. Yorktown, Virginia
• Who: French, British, American Colonists
• What: French/American fleet blockaded
Chesapeake bay which forced the British to
surrender to GW & Americans
• Where: Yorktown, VGA
• When: 1781
• Why: British effort crumbled= Treaty of Paris
(ended the war)= British now recognized the
independence of the USA

31. Treaty of Paris
• Who: British, French, Americans
• What: the treaty that ended the American
Revolution
• Where: United States
• When: 1781
• Why: this ended the Am Rev= The British had
to recognize America as an independent
nation

32. James Madison
• Who: Constitutional Convention’s floor leader
• What: helped write the Constitution &
became a respected American leader
• Where: Philadelphia, PA, USA
• When: 1751-1836
• Why: he created a federal republic (the new
gov’t) along w. the other framers of the
constitution; his document (Constitution) est a
gov’t for the ppl, by the ppl

33. Benjamin Franklin
• Who: a national leader in the Am Rev
• What: the nation’s leaders met in secret to
redraft the Articles of the new constitution of
the United States- wrote the Constitution
• Where: Philadelphia, PA, USA
• When: 1787
• Why: he helped write the US Constitution =
this est. a gov’t for the ppl, by the ppl

34. Federal Republic
• Who: Americans
• What: a gov’t in which power is divided by the
nation (federal govt) and the states (local)
• Where: USA
• When: 1780s
• Why: the Constitution created this gov’t for
the USA- the newly independent country after
the Am Rev; Republic- ppl are represented and
have a say; we have this govt today in the USA