This document provides an overview of ideas from the Enlightenment period that influenced the American founding fathers. It discusses philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau who believed in natural rights like life, liberty, and property. It also discusses documents like the Magna Carta that limited the power of kings and established rights like fair trials. Preachers during the Great Awakening encouraged colonists to question authority and think for themselves, believing people could rule without a higher power like the king. These Enlightenment ideas and documents challenging absolute rule helped guide the founding fathers as they formed the U.S. Constitution.

1. Inspiring
Revolution
By Mr. Casey

2. Agenda
• Vocabulary
• Philosophers and Ideas

3. Enlighten
• (verb) to give someone great
knowledge about a subject

4. Philosophy
• (noun) The study of the fundamental
nature of knowledge, reality, and
existence

5. rights
• (noun) a moral or legal entitlement

6. The enlightenment
• A period of time in Europe (18th
century), sometimes called the “Age
of Reason,” when people discussed
ideas on science, law, religion,
education, and government. People
began to question authority and
discuss ways they could change
society for the better. They took a
greater interest in nature and our
place in the world.
These ideas would
influence our founding
fathers and guide them
in the forming of our
constitution.

7. The Great
Awakening
*Preachers like Jonathan
Edwards and George
Whitefield preach to colonists
about questioning authority
and thinking for themselves.
*This leads them to believe that
it is possible to rule
themselves. They don’t need to
look to a higher power (like the
king).

8. John
Locke
Natural Law
Proposed the idea that all men
are born with certain rights and
the government is only needed to
protect those rights.
“Life, liberty, and property”
He also believed in freedom of
religion

9. Voltaire
Believed in a right
to a fair trial
Freedom of religion“I do not agree with
what you have to say,
but I'll defend to the
death your right to
say it.”

10. Jean-Jacques
Rousseau
There should be no class
system: All men are
created equal
man is born good, but
corrupted by society
Government should serve
the people
“People who know
little are usually great
talkers, while men
who know much say
little.”
“Every man having been born free
and master of himself, no one else
may under any pretext whatever
subject him without his consent. To
assert that the son of a slave is born a
slave is to assert that he is not born a
man.”

11. The
Magna Carta
1215
*King john signed because
he was threatened by
wealthy barons
*It limited the king’s power.
-He could no longer take
land or money from people
-Fair trials and habeas
corpus(can’t be put in jail
forever without trial)
The parliament would
extend their rights again in
1688 by convincing King
William and Queen Mary
to sign a Bill of Rights
(This gave parliament
even more power)

12. Native
Americans
ribes had a form of democracy and re