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1215
Magna Carta
“The Great Charter” Signed by King John after many barons and citizens were upset with having to be responsible for his war campaigns. First official document that nobody was above the law; founder of democratic governments. Originally made for the one percent, many aspects pertained to the elite and the church. Text severely edited over time, but still stands as first democratic document. -
1514
Nicolaus Copernicus
Mathematician and philosopher who proposed that the Sun was the center of the universe/galaxy instead of the Earth. Used previous work from Ptolmey and Aristotle. Created concept that distance from sun related directly to size of planet's orbits. Seen as starter of the scientific revolution. Essay Commentariolus (1514) introduced heliocentric universe idea. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther: 95 Thesis
Father of Protestantism. Tried to reform the Catholic Church, focused on roots of religion and reading the scripture versus Catholic dominance of priests. Nailed 95 Thesis to door of Wittenburg Church in 1517. Sparked religious upheaval by printing documents with the printing press. Once published, he was placed under a ban in the Roman Empire, hid to avoid punishment, developed own religion. -
Mayflower Compact
Signed by adult male passengers aboard the Mayflower, established a civil society in New World. Most likely composed by William Brewster. First example of self-government in the New World, but still loyal to King. John Carver elected as governor of colony, then William Bradford. Took ideas from Magna Carta and democracy. -
Peace of Westphalia
“The Benefit of the Other”. Ended religious warfare in Europe after 140 years, including Thirty Years War and Eighty Years War. Created sovereign nation states. Promoted self-interest to benefit everyone; diplomatic congress developed. Influenced politics throughout world and history. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Philosopher. Tried to discover how humans can survive independently despite their dependence (material and psychological) on other humans. Humans derive sense of self from others; this is negative to self esteem. Proposed education that is self—directed and autonomous. Also influenced the romantic movement through his appreciation of nature and the use of emotions. Published Discourse on the Origins of Inequality (1755) on his philosophy. -
Committees of Correspondence
Communication system during early years of American Revolution, helped unify against British cause. Three systems with Boston most influential one (Samuel Adams). At first had to meet with imperial representatives, but broke away from that over time. Specific event: Letter from Sam Adams to James Warren 1772 getting colonists to rally against Britain. Political union of 13 colonies. -
Declaration on Independence
Announcement of independence from Britain by 13 states in New World. List of grievances against King George. Logic used to conclude that when things aren’t right, change should happen. King George did not take it seriously at first. Meant to get allies in upcoming revolution as well as motivate colonists to fight. -
Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations
Claimed that regulations on commerce were unproductive. Gold/silver/metals are wealth, and countries should increase exports while reducing imports. A nation's wealth is its streams of good and services (gross national product). Break down production into small tasks, labor specialists. Manage/protect/grow capital. Only works with free trade and competition. Government does not have control over economy, but provides security. Published 1776. -
US Constitution (vs. The Articles of Confederation)
Merger of the states into one federation. Outlines the new government, its different parts, and how it operates. First three articles establish three branches of government and how they work. Describes checks and balances so power remains equal. Articles four through seven describe relationship of states to federal gov as well as amendment and ratification processes. Constitution established as the main law of the new nation. -
Federalist Papers
Written by “Publius” or John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Published across New York in several articles; discussed politics and issues of the Constitution. Helped New York adopt articles of Constitution. Helped form unified thoughts on politics in America. Consisted of 85 articles. Aided in ratifying Constitution, considered to be one of the most important political US documents written. -
Karl Marx
Communism advocate. German. Published and wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848) with Engles. Argued that history was made out of class struggles, thought that once most wealth was collected by capitalists, revolution would occur and then a classless society would be created. Argued Capitalism would destroy itself. Argued for decrease of profit, labor theory of value, and an increased concentration of wealth. -
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Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address
Dedicated cemetery at Gettysburg for those who died during the Civil War (Union). Over 51,000 dead/missing/wounded. David Wills, an attorney, was commissioned to buy 17 acres for the cemetery. Edward Everett, an orator, was the main speaker for the event, and spoke for over 2 hours. Lincoln was most remembered for this event, but only spoke for 2 minutes. He made the war about Union AND freedom. -
John Maynard Keynes
British economist, proposed theory after Great Depression to try and get economy out of ruin: spend money and create debt so economy is moving. FDR chose this and listened to him. Investment should succeed savings to create profit. Unemployment is supposedly caused if people don’t spend enough money. Governments should be involved with economy (opposite of Adam Smith). -
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Judith Butler
Feminist, philosopher, critiqued the factuality of sex. Wrote book, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990), on feminism that critiqued its very notion, and how women are not in fact one unity. Argues that the basis of feminism, gender identification, undermines feminist goals. Studied marginality and ethics. Also studied “new gender politics”: how transgender and different sexualities relate to feminism and queer theory -
Robert Putnam: Civil Society
Author of pieces on civic participation and community. In the 1970s studied Italian government and regional government shift with R. Lonardi and R. Nanetti. Wanted to improve social and political discourse. Wrote Bowling Alone (1995) which discussed the decline of civil participation in US and social participation. Societal pieces, like public health and school performance are affected by social connections. -
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
Race and law scholar. Human rights activist in Brazil and India. Promotes and studies intersectionality. In 1996 co-founded African American Policy Forum, which developed research strategies to promote social inclusion. Also studies gender and race in context of domestic violence, racial inequality, and affirmative action -
Eve Sedgwick
Developed Queer Theory. Studied old literature to determine hidden themes of sexuality, especially homosexuality. Queer theory is about how culture defines sexuality and our desires. Believed sexuality was a continuum rather than a category. In 2003 published Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity which linked emotions with queer theory.
