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Hobbes
Hobbes was an absolute monarch. He believes that people were born wicked, selfish, and cruel and would act on behalf of their best intersests. Hobbes was for the social contract. He wanted agreement between people and gov't. -
John Locke
John Lockes purpose of the government is to protect individual liberties and rights. He created Life, Liberty, and Property in October of 1689. John believes that people were by nature good and that they could learn from their experiences. -
Montesquieu
Montesquieu was for the Spirit of Laws. These laws were s trestise on political theory. He believed in the 3 braches of government (seperation of powers) Legislature, Executive, and judicial. -
Voltaire
Voltaire created a few of the freedoms located in the first amendment in the bill of rights. Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Fair trial. He is famous for his attacks on the established Catholic Church. -
Rousseau
Rousseau created the social contract in 1762. He believed that man was born free. He also wanted natural rights. Rousseau wrote many books during his life. He quoted "man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains." -
Federalists, Anti-federalists authors and arguments.
Some of the antifederalists were George Mason, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, Samual Adams, and George Clinton. Some of the federalists were Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, James Madison, John adams, and Charles Cotesworth. Some of there arguments were that the constitiution did not need a bill of rights, but it would create a "Parchment Barrier" that limited the rights of people, as opposed to protecting them. -
George Washington
Washingon was one of our founding fathers. He was a member of the first continental congress. He was the president of the constitutional convention. Washington helped create the precedents and foundations that would soon form amereica. -
John Adams
John Adams was one of our founding fathers. Adams was on the committee to create the Decleration of Independence. John Adams was chosen to help create the Treaty of paris of 1783 to end the Revolutionary War. Became the first vice president and the second president of the United States. -
thomas jefferson
Thomas jefferson was one of the founding fathers.He was chosen to to write the declaration of independence.He was sent to france to be a diplomat after the revolution and then returned to become the first vice president under john adams and then became the third president. -
Stamp Act
This new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ships paper, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. This helped the philosophes think of a way to create a new government. This encouraged the philosophes to think. -
American revolution
The American Revolution was a political upheaval that took place between 1765 and 1783 during which the Thirteen American Colonies broke from the British Empire and formed an idependent nation, the United States of America. It spread ideals of independence, democracy, and self rule by the philosophes. -
Townsend Acts
Created by Charles Townshend. Light taxes on goods were created such as tea, paint, glass ,white lead and paper payable in American ports. Colonists were angered but not as angered as the stamp act. This caused the philosophes to think of a new form of government. -
Intolerable Acts
Parliament passed acts to punish the colonists from the Boston tea party. This closed the Boston harbor and all goods coming in to there. John Locke said that self governing could work to stop the British empire, because they would not be able to create all of these taxes/acts. -
quartering act
the quartering act was a act that outlined the locations and conditions in which british soldiers are to find and board in the american colonies. Voltaires idea of freedom of speech could have made the soldiers not aloud to quarter in colonists houses. -
Deceleration of independence
The decleration of independence announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britian, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer apart of the Britsh Empire. The decleration of independence could not have been form without the philosophes ideas. -
Articles of confederation
The articles of confederation was the first constitution of the United States. The problems it led to was the congress was not able to collect taxes needed to pay for the expenses of the national government. It also cause each state to act like there own special Union or there own group. The states had more power than the government. -
North Weat Ordinance
The northwest ordinance created the northwest territory, it was the first organized territory of the United states. It was the territory west of the Ohio River. -
Constitution
The constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention. Or the constitutional convention. It is the supreme law of the United States. The constitution is the frame of the government. The enlightenment gave us the idea that people had a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". -
Bill of Rights
The bill of rights is the first 10 amendments to the United States constitution. These amendments guarantee essential rights and civil liberties, such as the right to free speech and the right to a fair-trial. The bill of Rights in order starts with No established religion, Rights of Conscience, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of petition, etc. Voltaire came up with the idea of freedom of speech, press, and fair trial. This relates back to the enlighenment.
