(The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment)

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION  The Scientific Revolution had the greatest influence on the

Enlightenment ideas of natural law and reason  Scientists questioned traditional beliefs about the universe  Observation and experimentation were central ideas

COPERNICUS AND GALILEO  Galileo Galilei’s observations supported the theories of

Nicholas Copernicus  They were both astronomers who supported the heliocentric theory (planets revolve around the sun)  Their ideas developed into the scientific method (logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas)

HELIOCENTRIC THEORY

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS  Central belief = the use of reason would lead to human

progress  Philosophers of this period believed society could be best improved by applying reason and the laws of nature  Similar to the Scientific Revolution because this movement encouraged the spread of new ideas  Similar to the Renaissance because a new questioning spirit and attitude emerged

ENLIGHTENMENT POLITICAL VIEWS  European political thinkers who supported this movement

believed governments should protect the rights of people  They also supported representative democracy  Writers during this period wanted to change the relationship between people and their government

JOHN LOCKE  Important Enlightenment philosopher from England  Believed the purpose of government was to protect the natural rights of

people (life, liberty, property)  Governments should be based on the consent of the people  He directly influenced the following phrase located in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

BARON DE MONTESQUIEU  Enlightenment philosopher who wrote The Spirit of Laws  He believed in separating the government into three branches:

legislative, executive, and judicial  Three branches of government would prevent tyrants from rising to power

ENLIGHTENMENT PHILOSOPHERS  John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau,

and Voltaire all believed in establishing a democratic republic (people elect their leaders)  Their ideas influenced movements for political reform and revolutions in Europe and the Americas

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION  Scholars in Europe during the mid-1500s replaced old

assumptions with new theories  This was a new way of thinking about the natural world  New way = careful observation and a willingness to question accepted beliefs

HELIOCENTRIC THEORY  Presented by Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus  Heliocentric Theory = the stars, Earth, and other planets

revolved around the sun  This challenged the geocentric theory that stated all heavenly bodies revolved around the Earth  Geocentric theory was supported by Greek philosopher, Aristotle, Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, and Christianity

GALILEO GALILEI  Italian scientist who built upon Copernicus’ ideas about

astronomy  He built and used his own telescope in 1609 to study the heavens  Discovered 4 moons orbiting Jupiter, the sun’s dark spots, and the moon’s surface was rough and uneven  In 1633, he was forced to confess to the Catholic Church that the ideas of Copernicus were false, otherwise he would have faced torture

SCIENTIFIC METHOD  Developed by Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes  Modern scientific methods are based on their ideas  Scientists have shown that observation and experimentation,

together with general laws expressed by mathematics, can help people better understand the natural world  Scientific Method = observation-> question-> hypothesis-> experimentation-> conclusion

ISAAC NEWTON  English scientist who discovered the law of universal gravitation  Law = all physical objects are affected equally by the same force; this force

ruled the motion of the planets and all matter on Earth and in space  Every object in the universe attracts every other object  The degree of attraction depends upon the mass of the objects and the distance between them  He believed that God created the universe to function perfectly according to mathematics

THE ENLIGHTENMENT  This was a revolution in intellectual activity that changed

Europeans’ view of government and society  Scientific Revolution led to the Enlightenment which was a movement stressing the use of reason and logic  The literate middle class, thinkers and artists, and American colonists were all influenced by this movement

THOMAS HOBBES  English political thinker who distrusted humans and

favored a strong government to keep order  In his book Leviathan (1651), Hobbes promotes social contract, which is achieving order in society by giving power to an absolute monarch

JOHN LOCKE  English philosopher who criticized absolute monarchy  Consent of the Governed = he proclaimed that governments get their

power from the people  Stresses that people have a right to overthrow an unjust government  Natural rights = he believed that all people are born free and equal and have the right to life, liberty, and property  His ideas directly influenced the American Revolution and our Constitution

PHILOSOPHES  Philiosphes is the French word for philosophers  They believed progress (improvement) for society could

be achieved through reason, nature, happiness, and liberty  Salons = regular social gatherings where philosophers, writers, artists, and scientists met to spread Enlightenment thinking; began in Paris

VOLTAIRE  French philosopher who fought for tolerance, reason,

freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech  Made powerful enemies and was imprisoned twice for his views  His view on religious freedom directly influenced our First Amendment in the U.S. Bill of Rights

BARON DE MONTESQUIEU  French writer who favored separation of powers to keep one

body from completely running a government  He believed in three branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial  In his book, On the Spirit of Laws (1748), he explains the concept of “checks and balances”

JEAN JACQUES ROSSEAU  Believed that civilization corrupted people’s natural goodness  He believed that the only good government was one that was

freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society  His book, The Social Contract (1762), explains the idea of a direct democracy

NEOCLASSICAL STYLE  Pre-Enlightenment art style was baroque - grand and ornate

designs (over-the-top)  Enlightenment style was neoclassical, which emphasized elegance and simplicity  New style was based on Greek and Roman themes  Classical music emerges – lighter and more elegant than earlier style; led by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven

ENLIGHTENED DESPOTS  Monarchs who embraced Enlightenment values to strengthen their rule  Frederick II - king of Prussia (1740 to 1786); reforms education and justice

system, grants freedom of worship, and abolishes torture  Catherine the Great – ruler of Russia (1762 to 1796); she responded to a peasant revolt by giving nobles more power over serfs and successfully expanded the Russian empire by seizing northern coast of Black Sea and large parts of Poland

AMERICAN REVOLUTION  Enlightenment ideas swept through Europe as well as colonial America  The spirit of questioning during the Scientific Revolution influenced the

American Revolution because it led to challenging ideas about government  After England passed the Stamp Act in 1765, American colonists accused Parliament of “taxation without representation” which was a violation of their “natural rights”  The colonists won the American Revolution (1775 to 1781) due to a strong motivation to fight for their land, mistakes made by British generals, guerilla warfare, and the British having to fight an overseas war

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE  Written by Thomas Jefferson and issued on July 4th, 1776  Colonial leaders used Enlightenment ideas to justify

independence  John Locke’s natural laws of life, liberty, and property, as well as the pursuit of happiness, were incorporated into the actual document

ARTICLES OF CONFEDRATION  In 1781, the original 13 States created a government with

a legislature only (Congress) and no executive or judicial branches  Result was a weak national government that failed to provide unity and order

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION  Leaders call the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to revise

the Articles  In 1787, the Constitution creates three branches of government  Provides checks and balances - ensures branches share power equally  Promotes federal system - power divided between national and state governments

BILL OF RIGHTS  Some Americans feared too much national power and few protections of

rights  Leaders won support for creating a new Constitution by adding a Bill of Rights (completed in 1789 and ratified in 1791)  Bill of Rights = the first ten amendments to Constitution that protect human freedoms and civil liberties  The Bill of Rights was influenced by John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau