Why did they Revolt Effects of the Enlightenment

Why did they Revolt? Effects of the Enlightenment

Bell Ringer 1) How would you describe Absolute Monarchs? 2) What were 2 of the key beliefs of the Enlightenment? 3) How was the Enlightenment a bad thing for Absolute Monarchs?

Connections… 1. What was happening along the middle passage of the triangle trade? 2. Why did Europeans bring Africans to the Americas? 3. How did the Spanish treat the natives and slaves living on their Encomiendas?

Absolute Monarchy Ideas The King is the ultimate decision maker The King was granted his title by God The people live as the King decides Independent thought is stopped (it causes rebellions)

Enlightenment Ideas Reason – all things can be discovered through reason. Nature – all things from nature are pure and good. Happiness – people should find happiness today. Progress – All societies can progress. Liberty – Every person has freedoms entitled to them.

Effects of the Enlightenment The Ideas of the Enlightenment went against everything that Absolute Monarchs stood for. If the people were free to choose other religions, make their own decisions, and argue against the will of the King, why would they put up with their taxes and wars and bad decisions? Leaders around the world began to use the language of the Enlightenment to stir up trouble and get people angry at their “mother countries”

The Language of the Enlightenment Take time to look through the first great Enlightenment Document of the Americas, The Declaration of Independence. Read through the document to find evidence of Enlightenment language that Thomas Jefferson used to start a new country. Modern Translation Original Text

Why Else did People Revolt? While the Enlightenment gave people the language and ideas they needed to revolt against a leader, there has to be other core issues that make people feel strongly enough to actually fight.

Why the American Revolution? The American Revolution was mostly a fight over finances. Most American Colonists were actually pretty well off and could pay their taxes and feed their families. The problem they had with their King was that he (and Parliament) were not asking permission to levy taxes. To take control of their own finances and property, the Founding Fathers decided to stir up the people and fight.

What about the rest of the Americas? As we know, elsewhere in the Americas, the French and the Spanish were committing much greater crimes against humanity than simply “not asking permission” for taxes. In pairs or small groups, go through the document analysis guide titled “reasons to revolt” to learn about what life was like in French and Spanish Colonies on the eve of their own revolutions… worksheet

Exit Slip 1) What did the Enlightenment provide to people around the world who were unhappy with their living situations? 1) What was the primary reason that the United States’ started its revolution against England? 1) How are the reasons behind South American and Caribbean Revolutions different than the United States?