“Out of the Dark Ages”Renaissance --> Enlightenment

• Also known as the age of Exploration and the advancements in the Arts.

• Paved the way for the Scientific Revolution 1500-1600. Discoveries/inventions (compass, clock,

blood pressure, microscope, heliocentric theory, etc..)

Dark Ages/Medieval times400- 1200 AD

• Not much recorded history.

• Growth of mankind limited as people were bound physically and mentally by their “place” in society.

• The church had become as powerful or more powerful than the king and Government.

Feudal System A Political, Economic, and Military system where people

were bound to the land they were born, and others exchanged their services to protect and serve the king.

King and Queen

Great Lords Ladies

KnightsServants

Peasants serfs

Feudal System

Renaissance (1300- 1500 AD)

• Renaissance “ rebirth” facilitated by the invention of the printing press.

• Okay for people to think again, use reason to figure things out.

• 1520 AD, Martin Luther’s break from the Catholic Church and the medieval dogma, --> 95 theses --> Protestant Reformation

Basic DefinitionBasic Definition

• Renaissance: movements following the Middle ages that centered on revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome. The word Renaissance comes from the Latin Word renasci, meaning “to be born again.”

Age of Exploratio

nWhen the world became interconnected and interdependent

Scientific Revolution:

A period from the 1500’s and 1600’s where many scientific theories and

discoveries were made.

Geocentric Theory: Middle Age theory that the

sun rotated around the earth and was the center of

the universe.

EarthSun

Copernicus:

(1530) Polish churchman and astronomer who questioned that the earth was the center of the universe and came up with the heliocentric theory.

Heliocentric Theory:

Theory the earth rotates around the sun.

EarthSun

Galileo Galilei:

(1630) Saw the moons around Jupiter and

supported the Heliocentric theory. He published his findings but was persecuted by

the Church and recanted.

Johannes Kepler: (1600) He proved mathematically that the planets rotate around the

Sun and that Copernicus was right.

Sun

Isaac Newton:

(1690) Discovered the laws of motion, gravity,

inertia and invented calculus. He proposed that these were natural

laws that existed everywhere.

Rene Descartes:

Mathematics and logic was more

important than just observation. Reason could prove scientific theories… “I think therefore I

am”.

Printing Press- invented in 1448 by Johann Gutenberg.

• Arguably the greatest invention of all time.

• First major text reproduced was the Holy Bible in 1456.

• With more people reading the bible not dependent on priests interpretation.

• Martin Luther questioned the authority of the Pope in 1520.

• Started the Protestant Movement.

THE THE ENLIGHTENMENENLIGHTENMEN

TTThe age of reason, where people

began to apply scientific laws and reason to human behavior, government, society, economics,

and religion.

Basic Characteristics

The power of human reason

Self-confidence and Individuality

Progress as

The cultural effect of the Enlightenment

• Spreading knowledge and free public discussion to everyone!!!

• Wrote for a larger audience, because of the expansion of literacy Printing Press

• Created a public debate of issues

Enlightenment 1600- 1700’s

• Encyclopedia published (mid 1700’s) that challenged the church, government, torture , taxes and war.

• “Enlightened Despotism” an educated Monarchy that governed by the principles of the enlightenment. (Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Locke)

• Apply reason to explain Human Nature and Politics --> Philosophes (thinkers)

Philosophes:

(Philosophers) Great thinkers in Paris France who met and

discussed social issues

Atheists:

Philosophes who denied the existence of God.

Deists:

Philosophes who believed in God but rejected Church

rituals and authority.

Thomas Hobbes:

(English) He believed war was unnecessary if

you had a strong leader who had total

power to keep law and order or a social

contract.

“People were wicked”

John Locke:

(English) All people have “natural rights”

of life, liberty and property.

Government was to protect these, if it didn’t overthrow it.

Voltaire:

French writer who used humor to target

the clergy and government. He

supported tolerance and free speech.

Montesquieu:

French lawyer who fought for the

separation of powers in

government-- executive,

legislative and judicial.

Rousseau: Believed man was

born good and society (gov. &

religion) corrupted him. The “Noble

Savage” or man in nature was perfect.

Diderot:

Published volumes of writings he

called “Encyclopedia”. It was very similar to

our modern encyclopedias.

Thomas Jefferson1743-1826• 1776 –Thomas Jefferson

Drafts The Declaration of Independence

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

• Later became the 3rd President of the United States

James Madison1751-1836

• Person most accredited for the actual writing of the US Constitution The power of the government must come from the people.

• 4th President of US

Simon Bolivar(1783-1830)

• South America's greatest generals.

• His victories over the Spaniards won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

• “The Liberator”

Enlightenment Products

• Steps toward building the democracies that exist today. Basic rights for man.

• Set up the Revolutionary period:Glorious Revolution 1688

American Revolution 1776

French Revolution 1789

Can people be trusted to govern themselves? What is the role of government?