Q2 - Lesson #10 - From Enlightenment to Revolution

Welcome back. "Revolutions" will dominate our attention for the last couple weeks of this unit. We'll start by looking at the Enlightenment's influence on the American Revolution. Following that, we'll turn our attention to the French Revolution and a number of others.

Here's an article some of you might find interesting. I'm guessing a few of you (at least) found the social contract discussion interesting. I'm also guessing a few of you like pirates. If any of you fit into BOTH categories, here's a Freakonomics blog entry: "Three Great Social Contractarians: Hobbes, Locke, and ... Blackbeard?"

We'll return to our MPA Enlightenment Salon for a few moments. Overall, I thought there was a lot of interesting discussion on Friday. I'm curious as to what people have to say in response to these two questions:

• Considering everything you have read and heard about thinking, arts, music, literature, etc., who do you believe is the individual who best epitomizes the spirit of the Enlightenment? Why?
• If you were able to have lived the life of any figure from the Enlightenment, who would you choose? Why?

The Enlightened Despots

We will also take a few minutes to consider the emergence of a new type of ruler in the later part of the Enlightenment. These "enlightened despots" seemed to embrace much of the Enlightenment while not showing any indication of giving up power. We'll look briefly at this idea as embodied in three rulers: Frederick the Great of Prussia, Joseph II of Austria and Catherine the Great of Russia.

A third of you will take a look at each of the three. We'll give you some time to figure things out, and then we'll compare notes. At the end, we'll look at the overall idea of the "enlightened despot."

Download an Enlightened Despots study guide to organize your ideas. In addition to your textbook and Internet sources, you'll be asked to specifically consult one primary source from Paul Halsall's "Modern History Sourcebook," which is probably the most complete on-line collection of primary source material.

Here are the links you'll need:

• Frederick the Great (Look at Memoirs and Essay on the Forms of Government)
• Jospeh II
• Catherine the Great

Here are some concluding questions:

• Is "enlightened despot" a contradiction in terms?
• Which would tend to win out - "enlightenment" or "despotism?" Why?
• Did the enlightened despots mark a meaningful change in leadership in Europe?

We'll chat a bit more about Catherine the Great since she is such an interesting figure. Let's look at how she came to power, some of her most significant successes and failures, as well as the role her gender has played in her historical legacy.

The Road to the American Revolution

We'll do several activities related to the American Revolution and its impact today and tomorrow. First, we'll take a look at the "Road to the American Revolution." Download a copy of the "Road to the American Revolution" worksheet which contains 10 events which helped lead up to the Revolution. In each case, you're asked to evaluate whether the particular act was justified by the side that carried it out. Many are discussed in your textbook, and I have provided specific links to a number of others. We'll talk about your assessments.

1. British: In 1651, the British Parliament passed the Navigation Act. (textbook)
2. British: In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act.
3. Americans: In the summer of 1765, the "Sons of Liberty" used a variety of tactics to undermine the Stamp Act.
4. Americans: The colonists accuse the British King of "taxation without representation." (textbook)
5. British: In 1770, British soliders fire into a rioting crowd in what comes to be known as the "Boston Massacre."
6. Americans: In 1773, a group of colonists dump a load of British tea in to Boston Harbor. (textbook)
7. British: The port of Boston is closed down by the British navy in response to the "Boston Tea Party."
8. Americans: In September of 1774, the First Continental Congress protests the treatment of Boston.
9. BOTH: On April 19, 1775, gunfire is exchanged at Lexington and Concord. (textbook)
10. Americans: In July of 1776, the Declaration of Independence is issued. (textbook)
    
    

The Declaration of Independence

You're certainly at least somewhat familiar with the Declaration of Independence. Today, we'll try to take a little bit different look at the document and its influences and impacts.

First, you'll need a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Here's an online version. (Notice there are several versions and images of the Declaration on this site.) To complete the following tasks, however, you probably want to download a copy of the Declaration of Independence so that you can mark it as directed.

Please answer these questions:

• As you read the document, identify its three main parts.  They are the preamble, the list of grievances, and the formal declaration of war. Mark these parts somehow.
• Thomas Jefferson chose to begin the Declaration with the words, "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America." Do you feel this was necessary? Why or why not?
• Find three examples of Thomas Jefferson's use of the ideas of the Enlightenment. Mark them.
• What is Jefferson's view of the "social contract?" According to Jefferson, what was the purpose of government? What does Jefferson suggest should happen whenever government becomes "destructive of the ends for which it was created?" According to Jefferson, how do governments derive their powers?
• Jefferson noted that "all men are created equal," suggesting that this was "self evident." Speculate as to what he meant by that statement. What sorts of conflicts and misconceptions may have stemmed from this statement?
• Look at the list of grievances that Jefferson lists as reasons that the King has violated the natural rights of the colonists. Below, list the three grievances that you feel are the worst violations. Explain why you believe them to be important.
• John Locke died in 1704, over 70 years before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. In your estimate, would Locke be happy with the way Jefferson used his Two Treatises to justify independence from Britain, which was Locke's native country? Why or why not?

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, November 17th
 
Note that Wednesday night you'll be asked to read BOTH Section 23:3 and 23:4 for the quizzes on Thursday. You'll have quizzes on each section, but I will allow you to bring in 50 words of notes for each if you would like. (That's for this pair of quizzes only.)