Enlightenment Ideas

The Enlightenment began in Europe

around 1715. People in cities like Paris gathered in salons to discuss

• war

• science

• philosophy and

  ways to improve the human experience

• famine

Enlightenment thinkers believed that human beings are born with fundamental, basic

rights. They include

• education

• life liberty and property

• health care and college tuition

• the right to protest

Enlightenment thinkers believed that if there was no government at all, people would live in a

• free world

• state of disaster

• sate of peace

• state of nature

One Enlightenment

idea was the social contract which means

• citizens give up some freedom they would have in a state

  of nature, and in exchange the government can do whatever it wants

• citizens give up some freedom they would have in a state

  of nature, and in exchange the government can take their money

• citizens give up some freedom they would have in a state

  of nature, and in exchange the government

  protects citizens’ right to life, liberty, and property

• citizens give up some freedom they would have in a state

  of nature, and in exchange the government can do anything

To Enlightenment thinkers, the

relationship between a government and its citizens was like a/an

• family

• nation

• good deal

• agreement

To Enlightenment thinkers, the

relationship between a government and its citizens was like an agreement. Citizens agree

to

• pay taxes every year

• serve on juries

• work on farms

• obey a set of rules

Enlightenment thinkers believed that governments had a responsibility to hold up their end of the social contract. If a government failed, then citizens would no longer agree to be governed and they would have the right to revolt. This idea is known as

• communism

• democracy

• consent of the citizens

• consent of the governed

Traditionally, a government protected citizens from

foreign invaders, but the government also had absolute authority over the people. A king ruled his citizens whether they consented or not. To Enlightenment thinkers, this

was

• an oligarchy

• socialism

• awesome

• unacceptable

Since the Middle Ages, European leaders had gained power through heredity, or family ties. Kings and queens took the throne after another family member died. This is sometimes called

• dictatorship

• anarchy

• democracy

• the divine right of kings

The brightest Enlightenment thinkers, with names like Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Locke, became very famous. They influenced leaders in Europe, and became popular with _________________who wanted independence.

• kings

• priests

• Americans

• Canadians