Enlightenment Vocabulary

the belief that individuals are born with basic rights that cannot be taken away by governments; life, liberty, and property

• natural rights

• Locke's Rights

• Natural powers

• life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

an agreement made by the people to establish a government and abide by its laws

• consent of the governed

• natural rights

• social contract

• influence

a person's ability to be free and independent

• individual liberty

• peace treaty

• natural laws

agreement among the people of an organized society in which the people agree to give up some freedoms and in exchange the government is expected to protect their natural rights

• social contract

• separation of powers

• checks and balances

• natural laws

The source of all government power comes from?

• people

• states

• president

• Vice President

a principle of the federal government, according to the U.S. Constitution, that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other branches

• Separation of Powers

• Checks and Balances

• Checks and savings

• social contract

a period in European history when many educated people stressed the importance of learning and reasoning; education was considered the key to understanding and solving society's problems

• Enlightenment

• Locke's Era

• Reasoning and deduction

• Age of Education

the structure of the federal government, according to the U.S. Constitution, that sets up three branches with their own distinct powers and responsibilities

• separation of powers

• checks and balances

• Preamble

• Declaration of Rights

Philosopher who theorized that are persons and endowed with natural rights and that rulers who fail to protect those rights may be removed by the people, by force if necessary.

• John Locke

• Montesquieu

• Thomas Jefferson

believed that the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.

• John Locke

• Thomas Jefferson

• Montesquieu