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482 BCE
Ancient Greek Democracy
The Greeks were the first known democratic society. All male adult citizens were required to take part within voting and the government, and if not they were fined.The government was made up differently each year; 500 names would be picked, and those citizens were required to be an active part of the government, creating laws and and controlling the political process. As a law was proposed, the citizens of Athens would vote for or against it. -
May 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a charter of rights agreed to by King John of England. the main point of the charter was to create peace between the king and a group of rebels, with certain agreements to be upheld. The charter was abolished, only to be brought back with a few changes. It's use had influenced the early settlers of the 13 colonies of America, and still stands as an important symbol of liberty in America today. -
1400
Renaissance
There were 3 types of government; Princedoms, Monarchies, and Oligarchies (Republics).The government continued to switch between each as time continued, and it was very unstable, but which led to the quick development of diplomacy. -
1500
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
The Great Law of Peace between the aboriginal peoples had established an equal amount of participation to each individual, including the women, within the government. This confederacy was made up of 6 united aboriginal tribes, all held up by the same rule to keep the peace between nations. -
1517
Reformation
The Reformation was the split between Catholicism and the Protestant people. It brought forward a new way of thinking, and strengthened the peoples intelligence and also their spirituality. -
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes had a negative view on the nature of humans.He helped to develop the idea of the Social contract theory, and believed a strong central government was the way to keep the world peaceful. -
John Locke
He was known as the "Father of Liberalism." He believed that people were born as a 'blank slate', and their environment moulded them into the people that they were. He believed that people had natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that if a government failed to protect those rights, the people had the right to also form a new government. His most famous quote was "No mans knowledge can go beyond his experience." -
Baron de Montesquieu
Baron believed in the separation of powers in each branch of government. He also thought that the class system of the nobility, the clergy and the commoners should end, and that the government should be set up as to make sure no individual is scared of another due to a power issue. -
Voltaire
Voltaire showed his philosophies through poetry. He was a man of reason, but also that of fanaticism, idolatry, and superstition. He believed in religion, but did not believe in the Church and the power that it held. He moved from France to England, and after living there and seeing how different their world was, he stated, "If one religion were only allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary; if there were but two, the people would cut one another throats." -
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a movement that questioned religion, humanity and nature that created a more developed knowledge of the arts, philosophy, and politics. The French and American revolutions were results of the enlightenment thinking, and so was the ideas of a social contract between the government and the people. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau was one of the first 'Enlightenment' philosophers. he believed that people were naturally good, but were corrupted by society as they grew older. He had quite a few ideas, such as that people were born free and equal, that private property would lead to jealousy and crime, that there were distinct stages of childhood and development, and that there were stages of education for each. His own words were, "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." -
Industrial Revolution
Before, most citizens worked underneath a lord of whatever land they were working on. Their lives were completely controlled by the church and the local Lord. Beginning in 1750, the time of the Revolution did not end well into the 1900's. After it had happened, most people moved into the cities or farmed their own land, and had the new rights to their own homes, the right to vote, and to be able to live their own lives and be responsible for themselves. -
American Revolution
Before the revolution, the 13 Colonies of America were under British rule, and had to pay tariffs on imported goods. They had decided they did not want to be ruled from abroad, or from a foreign monarch, and declared themselves independent with the Declaration of Independence. They established their own form of republican government, and followed the ideas of John Locke and Thomas Paine for political autonomy and economic freedom. -
French Revolution
Before the revolution, the people had no power and the riches went all to the higher powers, the nobility and the Church. When the King had drained its treasury in a war against Britain, and a drought made the commoners fall into a country-wide debt, the country was at unrest. the King and the nobility had no clue about the poverty of most of the French citizens, and when they did clue in, the Queen proclaimed "let them eat cake." The injustice and lack of accountability led to the revolution. -
John Stuart Mill
He helped to create the Philosophy of Utilitarianism, or the Greatest Happiness Principle. He believed that people had to act as they pleased, up until it caused harm to another individual. He also advocated for free speech, the movement for women's equal rights, and for the abolishment of slavery. His greatest and most known quote was "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign." -
19th Century Society
The most drastic impact on the 19th century was that of the breaking of the old class systems. New professions grew, and with that they were able to keep their riches and challenge the old aristocrat classes for power and a new position in society. Due to poor living for the workers in the factories, many people moved to the cities for work, which led to an extreme case of urbanization and unsanitary living conditions.
