06 Enlightenment and Revolution, 1550-1789

Question 1

Scientific Revolution

Answer 1

new way of thinking about the natural world based on careful observation and a willingness to question

Question 2

heliocentric theory

Answer 2

theory that the sun is at the center of the universe

Question 3

geocentric theory

Answer 3

theory that the earth is at the center of the universe

Question 4

Galileo Galilei

Answer 4

scientist who built a telescope to observe and study the heavens; his findings showed irregularities in the heavens and also lent support to a sun-centered universe, which went against church teaching and authority

Question 5

scientific method

Answer 5

logical procedure for gathering and testing ideas

Question 6

Isaac Newton

Answer 6

scientist who discovered laws of motion and gravity

Question 7

Ptolemy

Answer 7

Greek astronomer that supported the view of the earth as the universe’s center

Question 8

Nicolaus Copernicus

Answer 8

Polish cleric and astronomer who reasoned that the sun must be the center of the universe

Question 9

Johannes Kepler

Answer 9

discovered the mathematical laws that governed the movements of the planets, specifically that they moved in elliptical paths

Question 10

Tycho Brahe

Answer 10

carefully measured the movements of planets for many years, thus amassing a wealth of data that other astronomers would then interpret

Question 11

Enlightenment

Answer 11

also known as the Age of Reason

Question 12

social contract

Answer 12

the agreement by which people define and limit their individual rights, thus creating an organized society or government

Question 13

Thomas Hobbes

Answer 13

thought that a powerful government such as an absolute monarchy was needed to establish the law and order necessary to control the people’s selfish desires

Question 14

John Locke

Answer 14

thought that people were born equal, with three natural rights–life, liberty, and property

Question 15

philosophes

Answer 15

French social critics who believed that reason could be applied to all aspects of life

Question 16

Voltaire

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Baron de Montesquieu

Answer 17

proposed that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government

Question 18

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Answer 18

believed that the only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society—a direct democracy

Question 19

Cesare Bonesana Beccaria

Answer 19

argued that a person accused of a crime should receive a speedy trial, that torture should never be used, and that the degree of punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime

Question 20

Mary Wollstonecraft

Answer 20

argued that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful

Question 21

legacy of the Enlightenment

Answer 21

emphasis on progress, secularism, and individualism

Question 22

Denis Diderot

Answer 22

compiled a large set of books containing scholarly articles and essays called Encyclopedia

Question 23

Marie-Thérèse Geoffrin

Answer 23

influential salon hostess that helped finance Diderot

Question 24

salon

Answer 24

a social gathering of intellectuals and artists, like those held in the homes of wealthy women in Paris and other European cities during the Enlightenment

Question 25

baroque

Answer 25

relating to a grand, ornate style that characterized European painting, music, and architecture in the 1600s and early 1700s

Question 26

neoclassical

Answer 26

relating to a simple, elegant style (based on ideas and themes from ancient Greece and Rome) that characterized the arts in Europe during the late 1700s

Question 27

enlightened despot

Answer 27

one of the 18th-century European monarchs who was inspired by Enlightenment ideas to rule justly and respect the rights of subjects

Question 28

Frederick the Great

Answer 28

granted many religious freedoms, reduced censorship, and improved education; reformed the justice system and abolished the use of torture; believed that serfdom was wrong, but he did nothing to end it since he needed the support of wealthy landowners; referred to [him/her]self as “the first servant of the state”

Question 29

Catherine the Great

Answer 29

recommended allowing religious toleration and abolishing torture and capital punishment while accomplishing none of the above

Question 30

French and Indian War

Answer 30

a conflict between Britain and France for control of territory in North America, lasting from 1754 to 1763

Question 31

Stamp Act

Answer 31

an act of the British Parliament in 1756 that required American colonists to pay a tax to have an official stamp put on wills, deeds, newspapers, and other printed material

Question 32

Boston Tea Party

Answer 32

to protest an import tax on tea, a group of colonists dumped a large load of British tea into Boston Harbor

Question 33

Declaration of Independence

Answer 33

a statement of the reasons for the American colonies’ break with Britain, approved by the Second Continental Congress in 1776

Question 34

Thomas Jefferson

Answer 34

author of the Declaration of Independence; used John Locke's ideas of natural rights and rebelling against an unjust ruler

Question 35

Articles of Confederation

Answer 35

created a weak national government, which had no power to collect taxes or regulate trade

Question 36

Constitution

Answer 36

created a stronger central government, with some powers reserved for state governments

Question 37

checks and balances

Answer 37

measures designed to prevent any one branch of government from dominating the others

Question 38

federal system

Answer 38

a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and a number of individual states

Question 39

Bill of Rights

Answer 39

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect citizens’ basic rights and freedoms