Personal Research Project Hist 140

1. THE AGE OF
ENLIGHTENMENT
By: MercedesVasquez

2. The Enlightenment was a
period in philosophy during
the 18th century when people
began an attempt to
understand the natural world
through reason, rationality,
and the questioning of
traditional institutions. It is also
known as The Age of Reason.
Documents like the American
Declaration of Independence,
the U.S. Bill of Rights, the
French Declaration of the
Rights of Man and the Citizen,
and the Polish-Lithuanian

3. People of the
Enlightenment Immanuel Kant
focused on reason stated that the motto
based on evidence. of the Enlightenment
is, “Have the
The methods and courage to use your
discoveries of Isaac intelligence”.
Newton gained The leaders of the
great respect during movement were
this time. People leading their people
wanted to find out of the “Dark
natural laws that Ages”, a time of
applied to human tyranny, superstition,
behavior similar and irrationality.
They were

4. The core concepts of the
Enlightenment were belief in human
progress and faith in nature. It was
believed that humans were
designed to act rationally.
Marquis de Montesquieu
(1688-1755) was a leading
philosopher and one of the earliest
to stand up against absolute
monarchy (A core value of the
Enlightenment). He wrote The Spirit
of Laws which is recognized for its
“advocacy of checks and balances Marquis de Montesquieu
in government and uncompromising
defense of liberty against tyranny”.

5. The Enlightenment first caught on
among scientist, philosophers, and
some theologians, before it was
accepted by literary figures. It was
them who ultimately spread the ideas
through out the middle class.
The novel became very popular in this
time; first in France then in England.
Each novel, in its own way, defined a
natural human morality.
Alexander Pope was a “poetic voice of
the Age of Reason”. His most famous
work, An Essay of Man, expressed
optimism and respect for reason.
Alexander Pope: draft for 'The Iliad'

6. The Enlightenment and Art
The number of women painters
increased greatly during the
Enlightenment.
Among some of the well known
female painters were Rachel
Ruysch (1664-1750), Rosalba
Carriera (1675-1757), and
Angelica kauffmann (1741-1807).
Though their numbers grew,
female painters were very
restricted by traditions and the
need for public approval. Very
few of them were accepted to Angelica Kauffmann
academies where their work self portrait
might be shown.