These questions helped me define terms such as philosophe, natural law and social sciences. This background information gave me a general understanding of the question I was to focus on during my analyzation of the ideas of John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft. After completing the questions coinciding with each document, I was ready to write my essay on what the main idea was of the philosophers during the Enlightenment Period. As a result, I learned that the main idea of the Enlightenment Philosophers was that; for society to function it’s best, individual freedom must be recognized. I learned that John Locke believed in the dangers of a government that has too much power. I learned that Voltaire believed that a government should use it’s powers to promote tolerance of other religions. I also learned that Adam Smith had greater confidence in the individual- rather than the government- when making economic decisions. Finally, I learned that Mary Wollstonecraft in the necessity of education and equal opportunities for…
The Enlightenment refers to the seventeenth and eighteenth century in which a historical intellectual movement advocating reason as a means to establishing an authoritative system of ethics, government, and logic swept through Europe and the Americas. The intellectual leaders regarded themselves as a courageous elite who would lead the world into progress from a long period of doubtful tradition, irrationality, superstition, and tyranny. The movement helped create the intellectual framework for the American and French Revolutions and led to the rise of classical liberalism and modern capitalism.…
Before a revolution over the Absolutist State happened, it had to be conceivable. The Age of the Enlightenment saw cultural and intellectual forces emphasize reason, logic, analysis and individualism, changing the perspective of traditional medieval society. It fostered the critique of society and institutions, especially of despotism and the Church, laying the foundations for a new order. The French Revolution is a movement that is very widely studied amongst historians. It therefore has many interpretations as to its causes and effects. A classic interpretation, predominant in the work of Marxist historians, view the French Revolution in terms of a class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the landowning nobility, leading to the transition…
This research paper was written for the Advanced Placement United States History class taught by Mr. Roger Brady. It focuses on the rise of the ideas of the Enlightenment and how these ideas were relevant in the American Revolution, and the creation of the modern American Society. It also provides a throughout explanation of what is the Enlightenment, who are its main exponents, and how the ideas of the Enlightenment spread. Lastly, it also depicts how the colonists were mistreated and mocked by the British Empire before the ideas of the Enlightenment hit America and cause the shift in the mindset of the Colonial leaders who would command the Revolutionary War for independence in 1776.…
The Enlightenment started in the early 1700’s and helped to develop Europe to a state closer to what it is today. During this time period, art and literature flourished. A new focus earthed that sparked interest in science and reason. This time period is known as a period of discovery. Political developments were made as well; kings now did not rule by divine right. People believed that if they gave their consent to be governed, that actions should be taken in their best interest; failure to do so implicits the overthrow of the government. Here, we see small steps being made towards democracy in european societies. Overall, The Enlightenment sparked a new way of thinking among the people of Europe. Interest in science and reason led to many important discoveries. The Enlightenment lit the fuse for political…
Enlightenment thinkers essentially believed in freedom. They believed in freedom of the state from the church, freedom of the people from oppression and the monarchy, and freedom of the politicians to change government when things become corrupt. Revolutions followed through those beliefs and separated church and state by dissolving rights and privelegas, gave the people the power they wanted in the third estate, and continually innovated the government structure in search of something better. Ultimately, the Revolutionaries lived up to their motto “liberty, equality,…
In the late 1600s and early 1700s the Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that was developed in France, Britain, and Germany; the Age of Enlightenment influenced the country of Europe. It emphasized reason, science, and observation. Most of the United States’ Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by Enlightenment ideas such as deism, the belief in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, and socialism. Socialism is the theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.…
The Enlightenment, which largely took place in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was an intellectual movement that focused on the development of reason and secularism, rather than spirituality. As a result, it directly influenced political and economic policy, especially within the British colonies. One very well-known philosopher was, John Locke; he argued the ideas of natural rights, social contract, and revolution. At their essence, these three concepts proved to be the philosophical basis for the colonies’ protest movement against imperial British policy. Natural rights are defined by a specific group of entitlements, such as freedom, privacy, and life, which are granted to every human being despite them not being written in law.…
Imagine a world where the government denied your natural rights.In Europe during the 17th and 18th century there were well-educated thinkers who thought of ideas to change modern day society, this day of age was called the Enlightment Period or the Age of Reason. During the age of Reason,Philosophers focused on social, religious,economical and political ideas. Today I will be discussing the political,religious,social,and economical ideas of these thinkers.…
The Enlightenment was a period in Europe in which intellect and individualism were valued and focused on more than the traditional ideals and beliefs. At the tail end of the scientific revolution there was an emphasis on reason, tolerance, and progress. Now, there was a new emphasis on these ideas and even the churches’ authority was questioned. One thinker during this time was the English philosopher John Locke, who offered new ways to construct a constitutional government. He believed that a contract between rulers and ruled was created by the work and creativity of man rather than being gifted from divine beings.…
Influenced by the Scientific Revolution, an intellectual movement of the late 17th and early 18th centuries was formed; the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason’s primary thought was that natural law could be used to examine and understand all aspects of society. Enlightenment thinkers believed that there was a better way to improve society, people, and economic conditions.…
Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which gradually formed into the liberal ideology of the 19th century. Individuals that were waiting to get their individual rights and freedoms were allowed to finally gain liberty and power through this period of time. Classical liberalism developed from the ideologies of individuals such as Locke, Mill and Smith who were concerned with protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. The Industrial Revolution strengthened the ideas of classical liberalism and allowed people to gain economic freedom, self-interest and private property. Classical liberalism transformed British into a society based on agriculture and the landed classes, interventionist government, and humanitarianism into a society based on industry and the middle classes, laissez-faire government and pursuit of industrial efficiency (Fielding, 2009). People flourished with great amount of wealth and power but there were others whose lives had been changed for the worse. Resistance to liberalism is justified to a great extent because it did not affect the lives all people. Liberalism disregarded the rights and civil liberties of the working class, lead to a discrepancy in the economic structure of society, and set its political values merely on the basis of individualism.…
After Reconstruction, the makeup of American life changed dramatically with the Second Industrial Revolution. The Second Industrial Revolution was driven by rise of the patented inventions and the formation of corporations. Many of these corporations were bought out by a few wealthy men to form trusts. These trusts such as the Carnegie Steel Company and Standard Oil Company were essentially monopolies that controlled the economy and politics. This rise of big business from 1870 to 1900 was achieved through powerful economic influence and corrupt political acts that affected laborers, immigrants, and families across America.…
Over time, Enlightenment ideals have had an immense impact on contemporary and modern society. The Age of Enlightenment was a time during the 17th and 18th century in which scholars and philosophers began to question traditional ideas about society. Centuries of corruption and exploitation from numerous monarchies and the church, initiated intelligent people to speak out, and thus, the Enlightenment began. This Enlightenment changed the world by promoting new ideas concerning political, economic, and social values. These changes include equality for women, elimination of cruel and unusual punishment, and enforcement of religious toleration.…
The Age of Enlightenment is the period in the history of Western thought and culture that spanned from the mid-seventeenth century to the eighteenth century. It is commonly characterized by the dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics that swept away the medieval world-view and ushered in our modern western world. The driving force behind the Enlightenment was a comparatively small group of writers and thinkers from Europe and North America who became known as the ‘philosophes.’ In its early phase, commonly known as the Scientific Revolution, new scientists believed that rational, empirical observation…