Scientific Revolution
What medieval theory, supported by Aristotle and the Catholic Church, claimed that the Earth was an immovable object located at the center of the universe?
Geocentric Theory
In France, where was the main meeting spot to discuss ideas/reform?
Paris
What rally cry did American colonists adopt in response to British tax acts like the Stamp Act of 1765?
"No Taxation Without Representation!"
What event on July 14, 1789, marked the official start of the French Revolution and destroyed a major symbol of royal tyranny?
Storming of the Bastille
Social critics during the Enlightenment.
Philosophes
Which scientist built his own telescope in 1609, published Starry Messenger, and was forced by the Papal Inquisition to recant his support for the heliocentric theory?
Galileo
According to John Locke, what are the three natural rights that all humans are born with?
Life, liberty, property
Which Enlightenment thinker's ideas inspired Thomas Jefferson the most when drafting the Declaration of Independence?
Locke (when natural rights aren't protected, rebel!)
Who led the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror, what were their methods?
Robespierre ; guillotine
Idea that all knowledge comes from observation and experimentation rather than pure reason.
Empiricism
Name two key scientific instruments invented during this period and explain what they were used to measure or observe.
Microscope (bacteria/red blood cells) ; Barometer (measuring pressure/predicting weather) ; Thermometer (temperature)
What was Baron de Montesquieu’s idea regarding government structure, and how did it influence modern democratic governments?
Sep of powers ; the basis for how our country is set up and led to checks and balances
How did Britain’s Navigation Acts of 1651 affect trade for the American colonists?
Prevented colonists from selling valuable products to any nation except Britain and placed heavy taxes on imports.
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
Pledge taken on an indoor tennis court to not leave until they drafted a new constitution
King/Queen makes all laws, collects taxes, and controls the military with no limits.
Absolute monarchy (MUST SAY ABSOLUTE)
How did Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes lay the foundation for the Scientific Method?
B: advocated for empiricism (observation/experimentation) & D: advocated math, reason, and logic to prove everything.
What were salons, and how did figures like Marie-Thérèse Geoffrin and Denis Diderot use them to advance Enlightenment thought?
Social gatherings of intellectuals ; Geoffrin financed Diderot's Encyclopedia
What major weaknesses existed in America’s first national government under the Articles of Confederation?
The national government was too weak, consisting only of a Congress that lacked the power to collect taxes or regulate trade.
Describe the population makeup and tax burdens of France’s Three Estates under the Old Regime.
1: Clergy, 1% / no tax burden
2: Nobles, 2% / little to no tax burden
3: Commoners/Bourgeoisie, Majority of population & tax burden
British law that forced colonists to pay a tax on printed paper goods
Stamp Act
How did Andreas Vesalius's methods and findings revolutionize the study of human anatomy compared to the ancient beliefs of Galen?
Galen relied on animal dissections (incorrectly believed blood was created in the liver) Vesalius dissected human corpses and published detailed anatomical drawings, disproving Galen's theories.
What is an "enlightened despot?" Pick one ruler and name something they accomplished/tried to accomplish
Monarch who embraced Enlightenment ideas
J: press/religious freedom, abolished serfdom.
C: Religious freedom, abolish torture/death penalty.
F: Religious freedoms, reduced censorship, improved education, reformed justice system (remove torture)
List four distinct factors that contributed to the American colonists' victory over Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.
(1) Stronger motivation (defending their homes); (2) British military mistakes; (3) High costs of an overseas war for Britain; and (4) Military and financial assistance from France.
Why did the Third Estate break away from the Estates-General to form the National Assembly
The voting system gave each estate one vote total, allowing the 1st & 2nd Estates to outvote the 3rd Estate 2 to 1.
Consisted of the Catholic clergy who owned significant land and enjoyed tax exemptions.
First Estate