Enlightenment and

the American
Revolution
World History
 ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

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O L U 7 0 0 s
AB S 1
Philosophes Apply the Scientific Revolution to
Society to solve problems: 1700-1800s

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Philosophes Apply the Scientific Revolution
in: 1700-1800s
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Denis Diderot
 Essential Question
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Philosophe, Thomas Hobbes
Philosophe, john locke
 Philosophe, john locke
• Rulers are NOT absolute in power and must remain
bound to laws of reason and nature
• Should protect people’s natural rights
• Humans have free will
• Idea of divine right and kings is NONSENSE!!!
• Citizens have the right to overthrow the ruler if the ruler
does not represent the people
• Sovereignty

Ideas of modern democracy

 Philosophe, Baron de Montesquieu

Montesquieu
Baron

de

It’s NATURAL for rulers with ABSOLUTE POWER to use

power in corrupt manner… therefore… we must…
 Philosophe, Baron de Montesquieu
…spread power evenly a. Legislative – Made
over three branches of laws (Congress)
government – ensures b. Executive –
freedom, liberty, no Administered laws
corruption… (Pres.)
SEPARATION OF c. Judicial – Interpreted
POWERS (Checks & and applied laws
Balances) (Supreme & Federal
Courts.)
Philosophe, jean jacques rousseau
believed that people are…
 Philosophe, jean jacques rousseau
• He believed the best
government used
POPULAR
SOVEREIGNTY or a
vote by all of the
people
• “General Will” OR
Common Good
• A Social Contract is
necessary.

MAJORITY RULES
 Philosophe, Voltaire
• Used public opinion to fight injustice

“I do not agree with a word

you say, but I will fight to the
death for your right to say it.”

Believed the perfect government needed

freedom of speech and of religion.
 Assignment applying
Enlightenment Thinkers
Create an Encyclopedia Cover, … Or Write a Poem titled: “Ode to
authored by Diderot using Reason” reflecting the human
each last name as a piece of nature & government
“word art” to symbolize each expressions of:
philosophe’s belief of human
nature & government: * Diderot
* Voltaire *Voltaire
*Hobbes *Hobbes
*Locke *Locke
*Montesquieu *Montisquieu
*Rousseau *Rousseau
 Enlightenment Ideas Spread
1775-1783
The right to unalienable rights and the right to
representation
 Enlightenment Ideas Spread
1775-1783: Background
• Background
• Opportunity in colonies=cheap, land, social
advancements, new identity
• British needed to pay for the French and
Indian War (Britain v. France over power in
North America and Caribbean) =taxed
colonies
Causes of the American Revolution
“Great upheavals in history occur when
circumstances are ripe.”
Causes of the American Revolution
“Great upheavals in history occur when
circumstances are ripe.”
 Assignment
Causes of the American Revolution
Mission: Major Topics:
• Analyze the political
• French and Indian War
cartoon “Causes of the
American Revolution” 1754-1763
• Identify the symbols that
outline the causes of the • Trade Laws 1764
war • Stamp Act 1765
• Use your textbook (pages
182-184) to create a • Townshend Act 1767
detailed timeline
explaining the causes of
• Boston Massacre 1770
the American Revolution • Boston Tea Party 1773
• Intolerable Act 1774
Causes of the American Revolution:
1. French and Indian War
2. Taxes on Colonies
1. Stamp Act 1767: Stamps on newspapers,
public documents, legal papers (help pay war
debt)
2. Townsend Act 1767: Tax on glass, paints, tea
1. Boston Massacre 1770: Merchants in Boston called
for a boycott of British goods=British sent troops to
keep order=shots fired, kill 5 people=repealed most
taxes except that on TEA
Causes of the American
Revolution
 Causes of the American Revolution:
3. Colonists React to British
*Public Assembly: led to Boston Massacre
*Civil Disobedience: Sons of Liberty (Samuel
Adams & Paul Revere) protest by dumping tea into
harbor=Boston Tea Party 1773
*Representation: 1st Continental Congress
1774 (Philadelphia), list of grievances

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENATION

 Causes of the American Revolution:
4. British Counters Opposition:
*Intolerable Acts -limited rights of colonists even
more after Boston Tea Party (Boston port closed, British troops
can’t be punished, British Governor in charge, no rights!)
*Lexington and Concord 1775=British troops
leave Boston in search for hidden weapons, meet
militiamen in Lexington and Concord
5. Declaration of Independence:
*2nd Continental Congress 1776: July 4, 1776
*Thomas Jefferson wrote using Locke and
Rousseau and English Bill of Rights
 Causes of the American Revolution:
Review
French & Indian War: Britain Needs $  Blame Colonies for Cost SO….
TAX THE COLONIES
↓
Stamp Act & Townsend Act
↓
Boston Massacre
↓
Boston Tea Party
↓
Intolerable Act
↓
REVOLT (build up weapons  Britain send more troops)
“Great upheavals in history occur when circumstances are ripe.”
Lexington and Concord 1775=
Shots Heard Around the World:
 Critical Thinking
Why were the first shots of the American revolution considered the
“Shots heard around the world?”

Write a critical response using your current knowledge.

THINK!!!!
 Declaring Independence
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• 2nd Continental Congress 1776: July 4, 1776
• Thomas Jefferson wrote using Enlightenment
thought

It’s a brave new world in America!

Out with monarchy and in with democracy!
Rights of individuals!
Government must answer to the people!
 Declaration of Independence
• Drafted by Thomas
Jefferson
• People had the right to
“alter or abolish unjust
governments.”
• Popular sovereignty
• All government power
comes from the people
• King had trampled the
peoples’ natural rights.
• Colonists now had the right
to rebel
 Application Activity:
As we have alluded to the Enlightenment ideas of democracy
impacted the American revolution and the founding of our
nation. It is now your job to make the proper connections.

1. Work with a partner near you.

2. Read the excerpts from the Declaration of Independence
3. Highlight, Define, Visualize, Clarify, Predict
4. Write the ideas in everyday words  make it simple to
understand
5. Match the proper Enlightenment philosophe(s) with the idea(s)
expressed in the excerpt
 Articles of Confederation
1781
• Created National Government with little power
because they didn’t want to create a mini-me
Britain
• Could not tax
• Could not navigate with foreign nations
• It failed…SO
United States Constitution 1789
 The Constitution – page 186-187
• Used ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau and
Voltaire
• Created a Representative Democracy (REPUBLIC)
• Government in which power is divided between
the national (or federal government) and the states
• Separation of powers (3 branches)
• Citizens VOTE
• Bill of Rights added later: Amendments 1-10

Federalist Papers – Writing campaign to convince

American citizens to ratify the new Constitution
First President: George Washington.