enlightenment & american independence Flashcards
What was the time period of the Enlightenment?
1685-1815
What key concepts did the Enlightenment stress?
- Reason
- Logic
- Criticism
- Freedom of thought
Who was Montesquieu and what was his main belief regarding government?
Montesquieu was a magistrate who believed in the separation of powers in a state.
What did Montesquieu argue was necessary to prevent the abuse of power?
Power should check power.
Which book did Montesquieu write in 1748?
The Spirit of Laws
What was Voltaire’s main belief?
Freedom
What was Voltaire’s stance on religion and government?
He believed in the separation of Church and state.
What did Rousseau believe about the relationship between government and the people?
It should be a contract with obligations on both sides.
What was Rousseau’s famous quote regarding man’s natural state?
Man is naturally good; men were born free but everywhere are in chains.
What did Diderot aim to achieve with his work, The Encyclopedie?
To bring together all human knowledge.
What concept became synonymous with Diderot’s work?
Encyclopedism
What role did salons and coffeehouses play during the Enlightenment?
They were cultural hubs for the circulation of ideas.
Fill in the blank: Many well-educated bourgeoisie met in _______ and coffeehouses.
salons
What was a significant limitation of academies in France?
They required prior education, making them inaccessible to many.
What was the purpose of reading clubs during the Enlightenment?
To discuss new ideas in books.
What were cabinets de lecture?
Reading rooms set up by booksellers to borrow books.
True or False: The number of journals quadrupled from 1715 to 1785.
True
Who was Madame de Stael and what was her significance?
She was an intellectual figure whose salon gathered pre-revolutionary thinkers.
What was a common tactic used by philosophers like Voltaire to avoid censorship?
Disguising their works as fiction.
What percentage of people could read and write by the end of the Enlightenment?
Over ⅓
What was the main intellectual justification for the American Revolution?
Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’
What Enlightenment ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence?
- Consent of the governed (Rousseau)
- Separation of powers (Montesquieu)
What did the Americans establish to limit the power of the president?
Two legislative assemblies: the senate and the house of representatives.
What was France’s initial role in the American Revolution?
To supply aid in secret.
What slogans from the American Revolution inspired the French Revolution?
- Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
- No taxation without representation
- All men are created equal
Fill in the blank: The military humiliation of Britain inspired a determined attitude when fighting in the _______.
French Revolutionary Wars
