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William Shakespeare part 2
that are commonly used today (history.com). Some examples of the terms he coined were “fashionable,” and “in a pickle.” He also created names that are extremely popular today like Jessica, Olivia, and even Miranda (history.com). Picture of Original Painting of William Shakespeare -
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William Shakespeare part 1
William Shakespeare was an actor, a poet, and most importantly, a playwright. He wrote many different plays between 1589 and 1613 (pbs.org). Most of his plays were written in London, England, and were considered the greatest dramas of their time (pbs.org). Shakespeare is inarguably one of the most important playwrights in history, and has influenced U.S. History through his use of the English language. Shakespeare coined many different words within his plays, and even created many names that are -
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John Locke
John Locke was a British writer born in August 29, 1632 and died in October 28, 1704. His most influential writing, The Two Treatises, had the strongest influence on the making of the United States and was another Enlightenment thinker (google.com). John Locke’s writing in The Two Treatises was the foundation to the Declaration of Independence, and what pushed the colonists to declare independence from Britain. -
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Baron de Montesquieu part 1
Baron De Montesquieu was born on January 19th, 1689 near Bordeaux and later died in 1755 in Paris from a fever. Montesquieu was a great writer of the Enlightenment because he had a more natural view “of the various forms of government.” (stanford.edu) Montesquieu has a strong background in law, and this helped form his ideals in the separation of powers. His writings were the foundation of the United States government (Americassurvivalguide.com). He believed that the only way to prevent a -
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Baron de Montesquieu part 2
corrupt government was to separate the powers between different branches. Sound familiar? James Madison relied heavily on Montesquieu’s views when he drafted the Constitution (Americassurvivalguide.com). Book written by Montesquieu -
John Locke's Two Treatises
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in June 28, 1712, but eventually moved to France and became one of the most influential writers of the Enlightenment period (egs.edu). A strong opponent of Voltaire, Rousseau had an equal amount of influence in the Enlightenment period, and gave just as much influence to American history today, if not more. Rousseau believed in a direct democracy, a similar style of government that the colonists sought for their own country. A direct democracy, however, -
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Rousseau part 2
Picture of Rousseau and Picture of a document he wrotedoes not work on a large scale, but his writings did have a strong influence on the democratic society the United States was founded upon (egs.edu). -
Voltaire part 2
America and the colonist’s views of how the British government was treating them. Voltaire’s theories on religious freedom from the government influenced the writing of the 1st Amendment (standford.edu). Painting of Voltaire -
Voltaire part 1
Voltaire was the pen name for a French writer by the name of François-Marie d'Arouet, born in 1694 (Stanford.edu). He wrote many different plays with a strong activist core that made him one of the most influential writers of the Enlightenment period. He was alive until 1778 and wrote avidly until his death in France (standford.edu). Voltaire is one of the most influential playwrights to U.S. History because his theories on religious freedom had a strong influence on the settlers of North
