The Enlightenment influenced The American Revolution,inspired the people of the nation to take a stand for their overall freedom, and rights; causing colonists to revolt, changing their way of life
By nicolegrc
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John Locke 1
"According to Locke, all people are born free and equal, with three natural rights rights—life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government, said Locke, is to protect these
rights. If a government fails to do so, citizens have a right to overthrow it" (Black and Beck 551). John Locke believed in the idea that people were born with three natural rights, life, liberty, and property. -
John Locke 2
Locke also stated that those in power in anyway attempted to withdraw the people’s rights, that they had the right to rebel. His ideas were so influential that we see them in the world today. Without them, it is possible that certain people would not be able to own homes, express their preferred sexual orientation, and so forth. -
Voltaire 1
“Although he made powerful enemies, Voltaire never stopped fighting for tolerance,reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech" (Black and Beck 553). Voltaire was a an enlightenment thinker who believed in religious freedom. He went against organized religion because he supported the idea that the government should not in any way, be related to the church. -
Voltaire 2
...Throughout his time he had doubts on the Christian religion, and faced repercussions for having certain thoughts. Despite the consequences, Voltaire never released the idea of religious freedom, and throughout his life he continued to build upon it. -
Montesquieu 1
"Montesquieu...thought, in which power was balanced among three groups of officials...Montesquieu called this division of power among different branches separation of powers" (Black and Beck 553).Baron De Montesquieu believed in the separation of powers, primarily in the judicial, executive, and legislative branch. These branches would essentially prevent the possibility of anyone from gaining too much power. -
Montesquieu 2
... Each branch would play its own particular role, and check on the other two branches in order to keep things fair and on track. This idea was so effective that it would later go on to becoming the foundation of the U.S Constitution. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau 1
“Rousseau believed that the only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society...he explained his political philosophy in a book called The Social Contract..., it was an agreement among free individuals to create a society and a government...Rousseau argued that legitimate government came from the consent of the governed" (Black and Beck 554). -
Jean Jacques Rousseau 2
Jean Jacques Rousseau stood by the idea of a social contract. He believed that the people governed had a say in what their government decided. Not only did he say that people had a voice on what could or should be done in their government, but they were the ones who generally were responsible for establishing a government which would rule over them. The idea of a social contract can be seen today through yearly elections, which appoint those within our government. -
Beccaria 1
"Cesare Bonesana Beccaria (bayk•uh•REE•ah) turned his thoughts to the justice system. He believed that laws existed to preserve social order, not to avenge crimes. In his celebrated book On
Crimes and Punishments (1764), Beccaria railed against common abuses of justice. They included torturing of witnesses and suspects, irregular proceedings in trials, and punishments that were arbitrary or cruel" (Black and Beck 554). -
Beccaria 2
...Beccaria stood by his ideas, that laws were made for justice and not vengeance. He believed that the purpose for set laws was to establish order as well as the idea of punishment that came with certain actions and crimes. However, Beccaria strongly disagreed with the idea of using laws as a way of torture and punishment. To him, government was not allowed to unfairly ‘prosecute’ a person. -
The Quartering Act 1
”The Quartering Act of 1765 required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks provided by the colonies" (History.com Editors ). -
The Quartering Act 2
...The Quartering Act of 1765 forced colonists to provide shelter for British soldiers, and provide them with whatever they desired. This act was however sprung upon the colonists, leaving them with no opinion or time to process new rules and responsibilities they had to follow. Colonists were furious, which was also one of the other many reasons for why they decided to revolt against their government. -
The Quartering Act 3
... This act also relates to the beliefs of enlightenment thinkers, like Jean Jacques Rousseau who stated that people had a voice on what their government was allowed to do. -
Tariffs 1765-1773 1
“Attempts by the British government to raise revenue by taxing the colonies (notably the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767 and the Tea Act of 1773)”(History.com Editors). -
Tariffs 1765-1773 2
....After the French and Indian war, the British government came across serious financial issues, which left them almost penniless. In order to resolve their money less problems, they turned to the colonies and placed several acts and tariffs on the colonists. Not only were they forced to pay for all depended on items, but they were eventually taxed for their own products, for example tea.. -
Tariffs 1765-1773 3
...The unfairness between the colonists and their government was the main reason for the American Revolution. With that being said, we can see the significant connection between John Locke's words of revolting when treated unfairly against your natural rights. -
Separation of Powers 1
“In Britain, the center of power eventually moved from the royal family to the Parliament. But still, there was no division of powers...During the American Revolution, most folks on this side of the pond came to the conclusion that this concentration of power in Parliament had turned the British Empire into a tyrannical system of government...Thus when they designed the Constitution of the United States, the Framers insisted upon the separation of powers” (Shmoop Editorial Team) -
Separation of Powers 2
...After seeing the unbalance and experiencing the unfairness between them and governmental powers, people began to suppose new ways of preventing future occurrences like the ones happening in Britain. They suggested on separating the powers into three branches, the executive, judicial, and legislative branch. However, this idea originated in the mind of Baron De Montesquieu whose words expressed the division of power between branches as the separation of powers. -
Eighth Amendment 2
...The Eighth Amendment states that extreme bails are not always necessary, that fines should be reasonable in relation to the crime, and that again, laws are not meant to unfairly punish those who are guilty. This amendment connects to the wise words of Voltaire. Those connections can be seen by the almost exact statements made by him and those stated in the United States Constitution. -
Eighth Amendment 1
"The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” This amendment prohibits the federal government from imposing unduly harsh penalties on criminal defendants, either as the price for obtaining pretrial release or as punishment for crime after conviction” (Stevenson and Stinneford). -
Freedom of Religion 1
"Freedom of religion was an important issue for the colonists as the Anglican Church was seen as yet another vehicle of oppression by England" (ushistory.org). -
Freedom of Religion 2
...In many cases, it is seen that the monarch was almost always the head of the church. With that being said, no separation between state and church was presented. Yet, having a wise man like Voltaire believing in the need for the separation allowed people to grasp his intentions, and later on incorporated it into set laws and even our constitution. -
Works Cited 1
“Revolutionary War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009,
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history “Freedom of the Press.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 7 Dec. 2017
https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/freedom-of-the-press “Parliament Passes the Quartering Act.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Dec. 2018,
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/parliament-passes-the-quartering-act -
Works Cited 2
“The 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” National Constitution Center
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-viii Shmoop Editorial Team. “Separation of Powers.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008,
https://www.shmoop.com/constitution/separation-of-powers.html “Societal Impacts of the American Revolution.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association,
http://www.ushistory.org/us/12.asp -
Works Cited 3
Foundations of American Government American Government Online Textbook Thursday, May 09, 2019
http://www.ushistory.org/gov/2.asp
