John Locke
This English philosopher argued that people are born with natural rights including life, liberty, and property.
Who is John Locke
This term describes the agreement in which individuals give up some freedoms in exchange for protection and order.
What is the social contract?
This French philosopher argued that political power should be divided among different branches of government.
Who is Montesquieu?
This French Enlightenment philosopher strongly criticized religious intolerance.
Who is Voltaire?
This Enlightenment concept emphasized the use of logic and evidence rather than tradition or superstition.
What is reason?
The Enlightenment idea that most directly influenced the Declaration of Independence's claim that people possess “unalienable Rights” was this.
What are Locke's natural rights?
Locke used this term to describe the condition of humans before governments existed.
What is the state of nature?
According to social contract theory, government gets its legitimate authority from this group.
Who are the people?
Montesquieu's theory of dividing government authority became known as this.
What is separation of powers?
Voltaire's advocacy for freedom of religion is an example of this Enlightenment principle.
What is religious tolerance?
This Enlightenment thinker argued that women should receive greater educational opportunities.
Who is Mary Wollstonecraft?
The American Revolution demonstrated the Enlightenment idea that people could do this when a government violated their rights.
What is revolt or replace an unjust government?
According to Locke, governments are created primarily to protect these rights.
What are natural rights?
This Enlightenment thinker argued that government should reflect the “general will” of the people.
Who is Jean-Jacques Rousseau?
The United States Constitution reflects Montesquieu's ideas through its division of power among these three branches.
What are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches?
This belief system held that God created the universe but that reason and natural laws could explain how the universe operated.
What is Deism?
This Scottish thinker criticized mercantilism and promoted free markets and economic liberty.
Who is Adam Smith?
The phrase “government is...derived from...the people” reflects this Enlightenment concept.
What is popular sovereignty?
Locke argued that legitimate government depends upon this principle: people must agree to be governed.
What is consent of the governed?
A government that rules without the consent of the people would violate this Enlightenment principle.
What is popular sovereignty/consent of the governed?
Why did Enlightenment thinkers favor separation of powers?
To prevent any one person or branch from becoming too powerful.
Why did many Enlightenment thinkers criticize organized religion?
They believed religious institutions could promote intolerance, superstition, and resistance to reason.
The Enlightenment challenged traditional social hierarchies by emphasizing this idea that individuals possessed inherent rights.
What is equality/natural rights?
The Virginia Bill of Rights and Locke's writings both argue that government exists primarily for this purpose.
What is protecting the rights, security, and welfare of the people?
According to Locke, citizens could legitimately do this if a government consistently violated their natural rights.
What is overthrow or replace the government?
The Virginia Bill of Rights states that when government becomes inadequate or contrary to its purpose, the people have the right to do this.
What is reform, alter, or abolish the government?
A government divided into branches that can limit one another demonstrates this Enlightenment concept.
What are checks and balances?
In Candide, Voltaire satirized the belief that this world was automatically the best possible world.
What is Leibniz's optimistic philosophy?
A society in which people are encouraged to question traditional authority and use reason reflects this broader Enlightenment belief.
What is progress through reason?
A modern constitutional democracy that protects individual liberties, divides governmental power, and bases authority on citizens reflects the combined influence of these three Enlightenment ideas.
What are natural rights, social contract/popular sovereignty, and separation of powers?