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Aug 18, 1543
Scientific Revolution begins
It began with the Copernican Revolution. The Renaissance influenced the way people thought and interested them more in exploring, knowing and showing reality. It created a new way of thinking that relied on empiricism and skepticism, and gave importance to observation and experimentation to obtain knowledge. People questioned the existence of God and created many different theories about it. -
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Early Enlightenment
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Enlightenment starts
It was heavily influenced by the Scientific Revolution. Social sciences (history, anthropology, psychology, sociology, economics) developed, and science and politics evolved. People were encouraged to think on their own; the Enlightenment's motto, as Immanuel Kant stated it, was, "Sapere aude!" (have courage to use your own understanding!). It caused the American and French revolutions and influenced English Protestants to overthrow their Catholic King James II. It led to the rise of Napoleon. -
Scientific Revolution ends
Some people that played a major role in this period were: *Nicholas Copernicus, who began the Scientific Revolution with the heliocentric theory. *Galileo Galilei, who demonstrated the properties of gravity by dropping two objects weighting one pound and a hundred pounds respectively from the top of the tower of Pisa *Isaac Newton, who explained his model of the universe and the law of universal gravitation in "Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica" -
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High Enlightenment
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American Revolution starts
It took place in what was then the 13 Colonies. Tension grew between the British in the 13 Colonies and their government, resulting in the American Revolution. The battle of Saratoga in 1778 (consisting of the Battle of Freeman's Farm and the Battle of Bemis Hegiths) was decisive, as the British lost and France decided to aid Americans. -
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Late Enlightment and Beyond
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American Revolution ends
Important people in this historical event: *George Washington, the first president of the United States, who commanded the troops traveling to Boston on July 3rd, He's the most important figure of the Revolution. *James Wilson, who said, "All men are by nature equal and free". He signed the Declaration of Independence along with others, and took over the Charlisle committee of correspondence. *Benjamin Franklin, who also wrote on the Declaration of Independence, and was a brillant scientist. -
French Revolution starts
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French Revolution ends
Important figures from this historical event are: *Napoleon Bonaparte, a general in the French army who lead the coup d'etat in 1799. *Marquis de Lafayette, a man dedicated to liberty, who organized the National Guard to protect the Revolution from being attacked by the king. He assisted the American Revolution. He left when the French Revolution became too radical. *Jacques Necker, who was France's director general of finance in the late 1770s and created France's first government budget. -
Enlightenment ends
Some influencial philosophers from this era were: *Francis Bacon, who developed the scientific method (also caled "Baconian method"), which consisted of observation + reasoning = conclusions *Renee Descartes, who said the famous phrase, "I think, therefore I am." He argued that matter and intelligence were separate. *Denis Diderot, who published the Enciclopedie, subtitled 'Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts", consisting of 28 volumes and 70, 000 articles.
