| A | B |
|---|
| Natural Law | rules discoverable by reason |
| Thomas Hobbes | Author of Leviathan. Believed people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish. They must be strictly controlled by a social contract |
| John Locke | Believed people were basically reasonable and moral. Believed in natural rights |
| social contract | an agreement by which people gave up their freedom for an organized society. |
| Natural rights | Rights that belonged to all humans from birth: life, liberty, and property. Author of Two Treaties of Government |
| philosophes | Philosophers. Believed that the use of reason could lead to reforms of government, law, and society |
| Baron de Montesquie | Criticized absolute monarchies. Author of The Spirit of Laws. Felt the best way to protect liberty was to divide the functions and powers of government into 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch should have checks on the other. |
| Voltaire | philosophes. Used wit to expose abuses of government and corruption. Hated the slave trade and religious prejudice. Believed in personal freedoms |
| Didertot | Produced a 28 volume set of books called the Encyclopedia. Purpose was to change the general way of thinking by explaining government, philosophy, and religion. Authors of the articles were the philosophes |
| Rousseau | Believed people in their natural state were basically good. Innocence was corrupted by the evils of society, especialy the unequal distribution of property. Wrote the Social Contract. Some controls were necessary but they were minimal. Only freely elected governments in control |
| Mary Wollstonecraft | British social critic. Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Called for equal education for girls and boys. |
| laissez faire | A policy allowing business to operate with little or no government influence. |
| Adam Smith | Author of The Wealth of Nations. Argued that the free market should be allowed to regulate business activity. Concepts of supply and demand. |
| censorship | restricting access to ideas and information. Put in place to protect governments against the attacks of Enlightenment |
| Salons | informational social gatherins at which writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas. Originated in the 1600s, when a group of noblewomen in Paris began inviting friends to their homes for poetry readings. |
| Baroque | Art in the Greek and Roman tradition. Huge, colorful and full of excitement. Glorified historic battles or the lives of saints. |
| Rococo | Moved away from religion. Was lighter, elegant, and charming. Art salons believed to encourage imagination. |
| Bach | German composer. Wrote religious works. |
| Enlightened despots | absolute rulers who used their power to bring about political and social change |
| Frederick the Great | King of Prussia from 1740-1786. Had tight control over subjects, but believe he was "first servant of the state" with a duty to work for the common good. Praised Voltaire, tolerated regigous differences, and welcomed victims of religious persecution. |
| Catherine the Great | Empress of Russia. Enlightened despot. Implemented Enlightenment ideas. Granted nobles charter of rights, criticized serfdom, and established religious tolerence. |
| Joseph II | Austrian Emperor. Student of Enlightenment who traveled to disguise among his subjects to learn problems. Supported religious equality for Protestants and Jews in Catholic empire. Ended censorship, and abolished serfdom. |
| George III | English king in 1760. Set out to reassert royal power. WAnted to end Whig domination, choose his own ministers, dissolve the cabinet, and make Parliament follow his will. |
| Stamp Act | 1765. Imposed taxes on items such as newspaper and pamphlets in the America's. Colonists protested and claimed no taxation without representation. |
| George Washington | 1st President of the US. Virginia planter and soldier. |
| Thomas Jefferson | Principal author of the Declaration of Independence which reflected John Locke's ideas. Protected peoples natural rights to life liberty and property |
| Popular Sovereignty | States that all government power comes from the people. An important point of the Declaration of Independence |
| Yorktown Virginia | The battle in which Britain surrendered to the US. Ended the American Revolution. French fleet blockaded the Chesapeake Bay. Enabled Washing to force British surrender |
| Treaty of Paris | Official treaty that ended American Revolution. Britain recognized the independence of the USA |
| Federal republic | Created by the constitution. Divided power between the federal government and the states. |
| Benjamin Franklin | Attended Philadelphia conference in which the Articles of confederation were replaced by the US constitution |
