HIS 475/476

R. Scott Fenwick

Wednesday, 02/16/11

Lesson Title: The Enlightenment, lesson 1

Unit: Enlightenment and Revolutions (Unit 10)

Subject & Grade Level: World History (Academic Core) - 10th grade

Objectives (Students will be able to...):

• Define "Enlightenment"

• Identify key enlightenment principles and explain how they helped to change the waypeople thought about the role of government

• Compare and contrast the ideas of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

ISBE Standards Addressed:

16.B.4a (W) Identify political ideas that began during the Renaissance and the Enlightenmentand that persist today (e.g., church/state relationships).

Activities (75 minutes):

Administrative Issues

• Assigned seating

• Tardy policy

• Missing assignments

• Homework

• Schedule for Friday

Prior Knowledge

• Have students get out their unit 10 summary sheet

• Survey the class: "What is the most important idea that we should take away from our

study of the scientific revolution?"

• Review Unit 10 summary sheet section on scientific revolution

• Survey the class again: "What's our big idea?" Students should explain using their ownwords.

Enlightenment Philosophers Quotes - Read and Respond

• Place students in pre-determined pairs (list on board)

• One by one, project each quote (power point)

• Teacher asks if anyone needs clarification on vocabulary

• Pairs have one minute to discuss each quote• Teacher asks for show of hands for each (agree or disagree)

• Teacher asks for a response for each (agree and disagree). Students must explain whythey made their decision.

• Teacher tells students that these quotes are adapted from five enlightenmentphilosophers that we will study (Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire)

Power Point Slides (3)

• Teacher passes out graphic organizer

• Teacher briefly lectures• Students write definition of Enlightenment on the top of their graphic organizer• Teacher asks, "So what change do we see in society compared to Medieval times or the

time of Luther?"• Review summary sheet section on Enlightenment and look at timeline.

Reading and Completion of Graphic Organizer

• Teacher passes out texts• Teacher instructs pairs to work together to complete the graphic organizer. Students

must read the text to complete this task. HINT: Divide up the work!• Teacher leaves philosophes slide projected.• Teacher plays Mozart music while students work.• NOTE: If students finish early, teacher hands out the next worksheet - Challenge the

Philosophes!

Debrief of Graphic Organizer

• Teacher surveys students to make sure they have the appropriate information for eachphilosopher

• Teacher asks students to compare and contrast the ideas of Hobbes and Locke.• Teacher asks students who they favor• Teacher mentions that John Locke's ideas form the foundation of our country's

democratic principles

Challenge the Philosophes! Debate Worksheet and Preparation

• Time permitting, students begin work on this activity, which will be for the next classsession

• Students will write a counterargument to two statements by each of the fivephilosophers

• Teacher will take on the persona of each philosopher and students will debate himduring the next class session

Assessment:

• Direct questioning with response (oral)

• Five Enlightenment Philosophers Graphic Organizer (written)

• Challenge the Philsophes! debate activity worksheet (written and oral)

5/1/2011

The state of nature is war, so agovernment with unlimited poweris the only way to protect peoplefrom themselves and preserve

civilized life.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

People are born with natural rightsto life, liberty, and property, and

they create a government toprotect these rights.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

5/1/2011

Absolute rulers are corrupt bynature. Unchecked by law, they

are extreme, and use cruelty andviolence. Their people are treatedlike slaves who know only fear and

misery.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Society is dominated by the richand the powerful. They deny

people their freedom and corruptthem. Society encourages people

to become selfish and not careabout the common good.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

5/1/2011

There are so many cruel and terriblethings in the world such as slavery,

violence, war, and injustice. If there isan all-wise Creator of the universe,then it is reasonable to believe that

this Creator set the universe in motionand then stopped interfering.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

The place? Europe.The time? 17th& 18th centuries.

Minds were changing...

5/1/2011

Enlightenment defined:An intellectual movement that emphasized

reason, thought, and the power of individuals tosolve problems

let us Enlighten you...

The Enlightenment in Europe

I/ER AND AUTHORITY Aolution in intellectual activity

§nged Europeans' view ofVernment and society.

The various freedoms enjoyed inmany countries today are aresult of Enlightenment thinking.

Enlightenmentsocial contractJohn LockephilosopheVoltaire

SETTING THE STAGE In the wake of the Scientific Revolution, and the newways of thinking it prompted, scholars and philosophers began to reevaiuate oldnotions about other aspects of society. They sought new insight into the underly-ing beliefs regarding government, religion, economics, and education. Theirefforts spurred the Enlightenment, a new intellectual movement that stressedreason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Known alsoas the Age of Reason, the movement reached its height in the mid-1700s andbrought great change to many aspects of Western civilization.

Two Views on GovernmentThe Enlightenment started from some key ideas put forth by two English politicalthinkers of the 1600s, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Both men experiencedthe political turmoil of England early in that century. However, they came to verydifferent conclusions about government and human nature.

Hobbes's Social Contract Thomas Hobbes expressed his views in a workcalled Leviathan (1651). The horrors of the English Civil War convinced him thatall humans were naturally selfish and wicked. Without governments to keeporder, Hobbes said, there would be "war . . . of every man against every man,"and life would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

Hobbes argued that to escape such a bleak life, people had to hand over theirrights to a strong ruler. In exchange, they gained law and order. Hobbes called thisagreement by which people created a government the social contract. Becausepeople acted in their own self-interest, Hobbes said, the ruler needed total powerto keep citizens under control. The best government was one that had the awesomepower of a leviathan (sea monster). In Hobbes's view, such a government was anabsolute monarchy, which could impose order and demand obedience.

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Locke's Natural Rights The philosopher John Locke held a different, morepositive, view of human nature. He believed that people could learn from experi-ence and improve themselves. As reasonable beings, they had the natural ability togovern their own affairs and to look after the welfare of society. Locke criticizedabsolute monarchy and favored the idea of self-government.

According to Locke, all people are born free and equal, with three natural rights—life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government, said Locke, is to protect theserights. If a government fails to do so, citizens have a right to overthrow it Locke'stheory had a deep influence on modern political thinking. His belief that a govern-ment's power comes from the consent of the people is the foundation of moderndemocracy. The ideas of government by popular consent and the right to rebel againstunjust rulers helped inspire struggles for liberty in Europe and the Americas. ^

The Philosophes Advocate ReasonThe Enlightenment reached its height in France in thernid-1700s. Paris became the meeting place for people whowanted to discuss politics and ideas. The social critics ofthis period in France were known as philosophies(FIHL'uh'SAHFS), the French word for philosophers. Thephilosophes believed that people could apply reason to allaspects of life, just as Isaac Newton had applied reason toscience. Five concepts formed the core of their beliefs:

1. Reason Enlightened thinkers believed truth could bediscovered through reason or logical thinking.

2. Nature The philosophes believed that what wasnatural was also good and reasonable.

3. Happiness The philosophes rejected the medievalnotion that people should find joy in the hereafter andurged people to seek well-being on earth.

4. Progress The philosophes stressed that society andhumankind could improve.

5. Liberty The philosophes called for the liberties thatthe English people had won in their GloriousRevolution and Bill of Rights.

Voltaire Combats Intolerance Probably the most brilliantand influential of the philosophes was Francois MarieArouet. Using the pen name Voltaire, he published morethan 70 books of political essays, philosophy, and drama.

Voltaire often used .satire against his opponents.- He madefrequent targets of the clergy, the aristocracy, and the govern-ment His sharp tongue made him enemies at the Frenchcourt, and twice he was sent to prison. After his second jailterm, Voltaire was exiled to England for more than two years.

Although he made powerful enemies, Voltaire neverstopped fighting for tolerance, reason, freedom of religiousbelief, and freedom of speech. He used his quill pen as if itwere a deadly weapon in a thinker's war against humanity'sworst enemies—intolerance, prejudice, and superstition. Hesummed up his staunch defense of liberty in one of his mostfamous quotes: "I do not agree with a word you say but willdefend to the death your right to say it."

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Montesquieu and the Separation of Powers Another influential French writer,the Baron de Montesquieu (MAHN-tuh'SKYOo), devoted himself to the study ofpolitical liberty. Montesquieu believed that Britain was the best-governed and mostpolitically balanced country of his own day. The British king and his ministersheld executive power. They carried out the laws of the state. The members ofParliament held legislative power. They made the laws. The judges of the Englishcourts held judicial power. They interpreted the laws to see how each applied to aspecific case. Montesquieu called this division of power among different branchesseparation of powers.

Montesquieu oversimplified the British system. It did not actually separatepowers this way. His idea, however, became a part of his most famous book, On theSpirit of Laws (1748). In his book, Montesquieu proposed that separation of pow-ers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the govern-ment. "Power," he wrote, "should be a check to power." This idea later would becalled checks and balances.

Montesquieu's book was admired by political leaders in the British colonies ofNorth America. His ideas about separation of powers and checks and balancesbecame the basis for the United States Constitution. |f|

Rousseau: Champion of Freedom A third great philosophe, Jean JacquesRousseau (roo-SOH), was passionately committed to individual freedom. The sonof a poor Swiss watchmaker, Rousseau won recognition as a writer of essays. Astrange, brilliant, and controversial figure, Rousseau strongly disagreed with other

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Challenge the Philosophes!Discussing Enlightenment Ideas in a Salon

Directions:1. Listed below are a number of Enlightenment thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke,

Montesquieu, and Rousseau.2. EVALUATE each claim. What does it mean? Does it make sense?3. CHALLENGE IT! Even if you agree with it, try to find something wrong with it, some

way to argue against EACH philosopher's claim and say that it is not true.4. Underneath each claim in the line provided, WRITE your argument against it in ONE

SENTENCE. Or provide an example that suggests that the claim is not true.5. PARTICIPATION POINTS: When the class is done with the previous steps. The

teacher will assume the role of each of the philosophers. This is your time to use whatyou wrote to challenge the philosophers (your teacher). The teacher will have to stay incharacter and defend each philosopher's ideas. YOU MUST PARTICIPATE ATLEAST ONCE.

Thomas Hobbes' claims:

People are naturally greedy, selfish, and destructive. ,

Everyone is out for themselves, so a government with unlimited power is the only way to protectpeople from themselves and preserve civilized life.

John Locke's claims:

People are bom a blank slate, so they are not born evil. People are essentially good and humane.

Social Contract: Government gets its power from the people, if government fails to respect thelaws and people's natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow the government orremove those in power.

Montesquieu's claims:

If all power is given to one person, power is abused and freedom is denied.

The best way to protect freedom is to separate the government powers into 3 bodies: executive,legislative, and judicial.

Rousseau's claims:

All people are equal. But individual citizens do not have natural rights without the country, andindividual citizens do not have the right to act against the country.

People in a community know what is basically right and wrong. People are born good and havecommon sense. If individuals think differently, they need to be forced to accept the "generalwill."

Voltaire's claims:

Deism: The main idea of religion is moral behavior. The mysteries, prophecies, and miraclesshould be dismissed because they are violations of a lawful natural order.

Freedom of Speech: "I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your rightto say it."