The Enlightenment

The Age of Reason

DO NOW

What do you hope the future will be like for your generation?

The Enlightenment

1500s / 1600s - Scientific Revolution paves way for use of scientific method

and reason to obtain truth…

The Enlightenment

Starting in 1690s: new group of writers and scholars continues to view reason

as a way to obtain truth

Through reason, they believed they could solve all human problems

This time known as the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason

The Enlightenment Secular,

scientific attitudes

Criticize EVERY THING (ex: the absolutism of Louis XIV, or traditional role of women in society

The EnlightenmentWriters publish their ideas in books, magazines,

pamphlets to help spread their ideas

Salons 1700s: Paris becomes the center of activity for

these thinkers Wealthy Parisians, mostly women, begin

hosting social gatherings called salons Philosophers, artists, scientists, writers would

attend and discuss their ideas

Salon ActivityOn a scrap piece of paper…

Pick TWO topics from the following list that you would be interested in discussing and learning about… (#1

being your first pick)

Climate change Education

Health Care Immigration

Labor: wages, work load, etc. LGBT issues

Privacy / Surveillance Racism

Imagine…

…what life would be like in a state of nature.

What might happen if the teacher didn’t have the right to tell anyone to do?

State of Nature

a situation where there is no

government or laws

Work with a neighbor…

Discuss and write answers to the following questions:

1. What might be the advantages and disadvantages of living in a state of nature?

2. What might life be like for everyone?

Thomas Hobbes

was a mathematician, influenced by Galileo’s scientific principles

tries to turn politics into a science

Wait a second…

WHAT IS POLITICS?

Influencing other people

- on a community level

- OR on an individual level

Thomas Hobbes Lives through bloody

English Civil War Works as tutor for

royal family, flees with Charles II to France

after execution Sympathizes with

Royalists Believes England

needs a strong monarch in charge

Charles II as Prince of Wales (1642)

Thomas HobbesPublishes Leviathan (1651) Humans competitive by nature

Fear is the most powerful motivation for action Humans’ state of nature is war

Thomas Hobbes In the state of nature, people’s lives are

“nasty, brutish, and short” People enter into a contract: give up some freedom to

have a strong leader who provides safety and order

Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan

Actively read!

Think and write…

Think of a “right” you believe all people should have.

For example, you probably agree that everyone in the United States has the right to be protected from robbers and burglars. The belief that everyone should have this protection is held by most Americans.

In your notes, explain how you think rights like the one you have identified can be

protected.

Enlightenment Vocabulary

state of nature (already done)

philosopher - someone who thinks for a living, tries to solve human problems

government - system in which a state is managed

John LockeActively read.

As you do so, pay close attention to these terms:

social contract consent rights

revolution

John Locke - Reading Questions

1. What form of government did Locke advocate?2. What is a social contract?

3. What about his life may have led to this perspective?4. What might Hobbes and Locke agree on? What might

they disagree about?5. What did Locke believe about the purpose of government? What could happen to governments who

fail to do this?6. What did Locke believe about all people? How might this

be linked to the idea of rights?

Wrap Up Discussion

What rights do you think people should have?

Do Now

Review these terms with a neighbor: Absolutism

Constitutionalism Social contract

Consent Rights

philosophes Enlightenment thinkers in France (1700s)

See reason not as a thing, but as something you do.

A verb. Can only be understood through agency!

philosophes

Tackle a set of social problems How to make the economy prosper /

balance trade Religious intolerance Redefine the power of the king (more

responsible to the people)

Reform legal / penal system (more humane)

Personal / family life (more happy, natural marriages)

Montesquieu

travels to England, inspired by Locke

unsympathetic to revolution

approves of constitutional monarchy

wants to check the power of kings and balance the executive

establishes the idea of

3 branches of government

Montesquieu

Publishes The Persian Letters (1721), which begins the French Enlightenment

Publishes The Spirit of the Laws (1748) - describes three kinds of government: republic, monarchy, despotism

Montesquieu

Actively read this text on Montesquieu.

Exit Ticket

1. Name three problems that philosophes sought to solve

2. Who did Montesquieu believe should have power?

3. What idea is Montesquieu most famous for?

Do you believe…

… that we live in the best of all possible worlds? Why or why not?

Voltaire believes the nobles are

corrupt, and that the common people are naturally superstitious and dumb

“royal thesis” - believes that society needs to be fixed, but only a good king is able to do this

democracy not a great idea

Voltaire

Always attacking the Catholic Church, sees it as corrupt

Is a deist - believes in a supreme being, but does not need organized religion to tell

him how - many Enlightenment philosophers feel this way

Voltaire

Among the first to talk about human rights Believed in tolerance of other religions and

ethnicities Horrified by slave trade

Spoke out for the freedom of speech and freedom of the press

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to

say it.”

Voltaire Satire - a type of literature

that makes fun of certain aspects of society. It is meant to be funny, but also offer real criticism about problems in the world.

Candide (1751) - Voltaire’s book about a young man who believes in his professor’s optimism - that the world we are living in is the best it could be - until he travels and experiences hardship…

Candide explained…

watch this video and answer questions on worksheet

Do Now

What is democracy?

Is it possible for all people to have their say represented?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Voltaire’s personal enemy

Harshly critical of all aspects of French society - sees everything as corrupt

RousseauBelieves that people are naturally good and that

modern society corrupts people

“Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.”

Rousseau

Locke: government exists to protect life, liberty, and property. Otherwise: “leave me alone!”

Rousseau: government and society should bring people together in a community. You have to

participate. The Social Contract (1762) - argues for a more

democratic form of government. Government should work for the benefit of the common good,

not a wealthy few people

Democracy Form of government where citizens participate equally Could be done directly through voting on laws, or by

electing representatives All citizens are the sovereign power, and can choose or

get rid of their laws and representatives

Rousseau Actively read the text on Rousseau

Write vocabulary terms in your notes:

General will

Respond to questions on the bottom

Share responses with a neighbor, then class

Exit Ticket

What are the dangers of “majority rule”?

Name one way that minority rights can be represented.

Do Now

Politicians would do a better job if they would listen more to the advice of

philosophers.

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Enlightened AbsolutismAbsolutism

The king is free from the laws / above the laws / can do what he wants

Enlightened AbsolutismThe ruler can still do what he wants, but believes in the values of the Enlightenment

Rulers in Prussia, Russia, and Austria were influenced heavily by the Enlightenment

Europe in 1789So far, where do we know the Enlightenment is taking place?

What kind of governments exist in Europe at this time? Where?

What impact do you think the Enlightenment will have on these places?

Prussia & AustriaAUSTRIA: Habsburg emperor of Holy Roman Empire seated

in Vienna (capital of Austria)

PRUSSIA: prince of Brandenburg becomes “king” (1701)

Prussia: Frederick the Great

(r. 1740-86) Maintains Prussia as military power Makes Berlin center of culture, invites

Voltaire and others to visit Religious toleration

(new in Europe!) Abolished torture Reduced censorship

Austria: Joseph II (r. 1780-90)

Son of Maria Teresa Abolishes torture and death penalty Provides free food and medicine for poor citizens Religious tolerance for Protestants and Jews (he is Catholic) Abolished serfdom (peasants need to be paid for their work)

Amadeus (1984)

Russia: Catherine the Great

(r. 1762-96) Wrote letters to Voltaire, Diderot Drafted a Russian constitution,

never adopted Tried to free the serfs (peasant

slaves), but could not Made Russian state more

organized Enhanced Russian education

Russia: Catherine the Great

Actively read this text on Catherine the Great As you read, gather and check your clues

with a neighbor Read carefully for evidence of Enlightenment

philosphers’ ideas in her actions (Hobbes? Locke? Voltaire? Rousseau?)

Using the clues that you collected, write a one paragraph summary of the text

Wrap up

Which Enlightenment ideas did Catherine the Great embrace?

Who do you think she got these ideas from?

Would you like to live with this form of government? Why or why not?

Do Now

What is an economy?

EconomyProduction, distribution, trade, and consumption of

goods or services in a given place

Mercantilism For years, European governments intervened in

the economy as much as possible to increase their country’s wealth

Ex: New World colonial trade

Adam Smith

Scottish Enlightenment thinker

Adam Smith

Smith’s question: “Why are some places wealthy and others are not?”

Smith’s answer: not because of natural resources, not because of racial superiority

Smith’s answer: innovations in particular societies (ex: division of labor)

Adam Smith

Criticized mercantilism - believed that governments were interfering in the

market too much

Believed that an “invisible hand” could set the prices as consumers and producers exchanged in an economy

without government interference

Today’s Economy: Capitalism

Why are some things cheap and other things expensive?

How are the prices of things determined?

Adam Smith

VIDEO

60 Second Adventures in Economics

Adam Smith

Actively read this summary on his

famous book The Wealth of Nations

Do Now

Thus far, we have been primarily discussing male thinkers in the

Enlightenment.

How do you believe women were regarded in this society? What type of

status do you think they had?

Women & The Enlightenment

While many Enlightenment thinkers questioned traditional beliefs, many held traditional views on women

Women seen primarily as wives and mothers - education should only prepare them for these roles

Women & the Enlightenment

Actively read this text aloud as a class

Briefly read through timeline on reverse page

Women & the Enlightenment

Break into groups of 2 or 3 to analyze these

primary source documents: Rousseau, Emile: or, On Education (1762) “Sophia,” Women Not Inferior to Man (1739)

Actively read.

Then, answer questions on reverse side of reading.

Be ready to share with class.

Women & the Enlightenment

Which of these primary source documents would be most useful to a historian trying to understand the role of women in the

European Enlightenment?

Mary Wollstonecraft Rejected the view of

women serving only domestic needs

Demanded equal rights for women, including education

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)

Brief video

Exit Ticket

“In the long run, the movement for equality between men and women

would not have been possible without the Enlightenment.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Do Now

Take out your graphic organizer from yesterday and review with a neighbor.

Use the information from this to help you answer the “Background Essay Questions” in the DBQ packet.

Understanding the Question

The Enlightenment Philosophers:

What Was Their Main Idea?

1. What is the analytical question asked by this Mini-Q?

2. What terms in the question need to be defined?

3. Rewrite the question in your own words.

Pre-Bucketing

Using your notes in the graphic organizer, and clues in the question, suggest possible labels for the buckets.

Documents

Begin actively reading the documents and responding to the reading questions.

Document A

Document B

Document C

Document D

Use this time…

To prepare for your discussion at the salon this week…

Bucketing Under each bucket, write a main idea (these will be your body

paragraphs - do you want to revise any of the old buckets with this new information?)

In each bucket, write the letters of documents (these will be your supporting evidence)

Thesis & Road Map

On the leg, write your thesis

On the toes, write your main ideas (get these from your bucket labels - this will be part of your sneak preview)

Outline

DBQ: The Essay

Use your… Outline When necessary, refer back to

document packet, graphic organizer, or other notes

Start writing!

For the Salon…

1. Double check your work in Noodle ToolsA. Do you still need to write an annotation?

B. Do you need to edit your annotation?

2. You will write AT LEAST 1 paragraph about your hopes for the future. You should focus on what you hope the future is

like for your generation and the one that follows you. All students will share their hopes for the future the day of the

salon (typed, to be handed in day of activity).

Welcome to Salon du Monde !

Get ready as you settle into the class. Here is what you need…

1. Your hopes for the future (salon celebrities only)2. Your research (annotations and/or articles)

3. Question worksheets

Do tell us…

Salon celebrities:

What are your hopes for the future?

All salon attendees:

What is your topic?

What have you learned about it?

Mingle with your fellow salonnieres…

Locate students who may be able to answer your question

Complete your worksheet

Debrief

Write a 1 paragraph reflection in the form of one of the following:

1. I used to think… but now I think… because…

2. I didn’t know… but now I think…

3. I’m still unsure of… because… To learn more about this I should…

4. I find it interesting that… because… I could learn more about this by…

5. I would like to learn more about… because… I will…