ENLIGHTENMENT

Enlightenment Thinkers Skit PresentationsYou and your group have been assigned an Enlightenment thinker to base a short skit (we’re talking about 30 seconds probably, if that long) which, in some way, covers the ideas of that thinker. Use the “profile page” sheet to help you gather some basic information about the thinker to form the content of your skit.

WE WILL BE DOING PRESENTATIONS TODAY in front of the class. Whether or not you have a speaking part at all is you and your group’s option…Mr. Osborne will talk about the benefits of speaking before sorting you into groups.

Presentation Time…

As you watch each presentation, attempt to answer the question below. If the group fails to cover it, Mr. Osborne will fill in the gaps.

Group One: Thomas HobbesWhat type of leader does Hobbes say should rule?

Group Two: John LockeWhat is the condition of a human when he/she is born?

Group Three: VoltaireWhat would Voltaire say about the Catholic Church shutting up Galileo? Why?

Group Four: RousseauWhat should be the relationship between the people and their government?

Group Five: MontesquieuWhat element of Montesquieu’s beliefs is found in the United States’s government?

Group Six: BeccariaWhat part of government did Beccaria often discuss and write about?

ENLIGHTENMENT

Thomas HobbesGeneral Biography

Born in 1588Died in 1679

Nationality: English

Hobbes’s major work was called Leviathan, which was published immediately after the English Civil War in 1651. His views of people were shaped by the conflict.

Hobbes thought people, at their most basic level, were naturally selfish and wicked. Without governments there to keep order, there’d be war and life would be short.

Hobbes believed that people needed to hand over all control of government and their own personal rights to a strong ruler, like an absolute monarch. Because people would always be selfish and act in their own self-interest, a strong ruler would be needed to keep law and order in society.

ENLIGHTENMENT

John LockeGeneral Biography

Born in 1632Died in 1704

Nationality: English

Locke believed that humans could learn from their experiences and improve themselves. Because of this, Locke reasoned that people had the willingness and ability to govern themselves.

Locke believed that people were born free and equal and possessed three given rights – life, liberty, and property. He urged people to give up some of their other rights to allow a government to rule for them.

Government’s role was to protect the people and their basic rights, and when the people saw their government failing to accomplish their mission, they had the right to overthrow it.

ENLIGHTENMENT

VoltaireGeneral Biography

Born in 1694Died in 1778

Nationality: French

Voltaire was a writer and philosophe who used sarcasm to make fun of his opponents. He believed in freedom of speech and freedom of expression. He thought the worst enemies of humanity were intolerance, prejudice, and superstition.

He was a huge opponent of organized religion. He attacked the Church with all of his energy, thinking it was disgusting, vulgar, and barbaric.

His most famous saying was…

“I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.”

ENLIGHTENMENT

Jean Jacques Rousseau

General Biography

Born in 1712Died in 1778

Nationality: French

Rousseau was different than other thinkers, in that he believed that civilization ruined the natural goodness of people. He once said “man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”

He believed that the only good government was one formed by the “people” and the people alone, or in other words a direct democracy. Basically, the people rule themselves; there should be NO king. He thought people should give up some basic freedoms to help promote the common good.

He thought all titles of nobility should be eliminated. All people should be equal in society.

ENLIGHTENMENT

The Baron de Montesquieu

General Biography

Born in 1689Died in 1755

Nationality: French

Montesquieu studied political liberty, and believed the British system was the best political system of his day. He saw the advantage of different branches of government, or the separation of powers in government.

Montesquieu advocated for three branches of government, much the way England had set up their system: an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch.

He proposed this system because he saw the danger of an individual or a group gaining too much power, and he wanted checks against this danger. This idea came to be known as “checks and balances” and was a central idea in the drafting of the United States Constitution.

ENLIGHTENMENT

Adam Smith

General Biography

Born in 1723Died in 1790

Nationality: England

He advocated for free-market capitalism or the lasseiz-faire economy. This where the free market and competition would dictate the economy, not the government. Wrote the wealth of nations which dictated how governments should run their economies. Thought all power should be with the merchant class (middle business class) not the government.

Perfect liberty can never happen if government heeds or is entrusted to the mean rapacity, the monopolizing spirit of

merchants and manufacturers who neither are, nor ought to be the rulers of mankind.

ENLIGHTENMENT

Enlightenment Thinkers Guided Notes

I. Thomas Hobbes

Lived and learned through the ____________________________.

People are by nature ___________________, cruel, greedy, ________________, and wicked. Without _______________________, life would be short.

People should enter a ____________________ with their government so the gov’t can provide _____________________________.

The government should be ruled by an ________________________.

II. John Locke

Believes that people have the ability to __________________________________ and learn from their __________________________.

People are born _______________ with natural rights of __________, __________________, and ____________________.

People should give some of their ____________________ up to allow a government to rule for them, so the government can __________________ the people.

If government does not protect rights, the people have a right to ______________________ the government.

III. Voltaire

Used ____________________ to attack his foes.

Believed in freedom of ________________ and _____________________ and despised intolerance, prejudice, and _______________________.

A huge opponent of _______________________, such as the Catholic Church

“I do not agree with a word you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.”

ENLIGHTENMENT

IV. Jean Jacques Rousseau

Thinks that ___________________________ ruins the natural goodness in people.

The only good form of government was one ________________________________________ – _____________________ democracy…no kings or queens

People should give up some of their ___________________________________ for the ______ ____________________________________.

All people should be ___________________ in society.

V. The Baron de Montesquieu

In his day, he believed the __________________________ form of government was best.

Advocated for ___________________________________________…saw the danger in one ruler having too much ____________________________.

The _______________________________ took from his idea of _________________________ ________________________ while drafting the ______________________.

VI. Cesare Beccaria

Laws should not be used to ___________________________ but to preserve ______________ ____________________.

Wrote about the _________________ branch of government.

Government should seek to do the greatest amount of ______________ for the greatest amount of ____________________.

Discussion Question…

Which of these men do you think had the best ideas about how to form a government? Why?

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