world studies

chapter 5

natural law

A philosophy asserting that certain rights and moral values are inherent in human nature and can be understood through reason. It serves as a basis for legal and ethical principles.

thomas hobbes

A 17th-century English philosopher who is known for his social contract theory, asserting that individuals consent to give up some freedoms in exchange for security provided by a sovereign authority.

John Locke

A 17th-century English philosopher who contributed significantly to liberal political theory, advocating for natural rights, government by consent, and the right of revolution against unjust rulers.

Social Contract

A theory that individuals unite into a society by agreeing to form a government that protects their rights and maintains social order in exchange for some personal freedoms.

natural right

A fundamental right that all individuals possess inherently, independent of government or social agreements, typically including life, liberty, and property.

philosophe

A member of the 18th-century Enlightenment intellectual movement in France, known for advocating reason, science, and humanism while promoting social and political reforms.

montesquieu

A French political philosopher known for his work "The Spirit of the Laws," in which he advocated for the separation of powers in government to prevent tyranny.

voltaire

An influential French writer and philosopher known for his wit and criticism of established religion. He championed civil liberties, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state.

diderot

A prominent French philosopher and co-founder of the Encyclopedie, who advocated for education, free thought, and criticism of traditional authority.

rousseau

wrote a book called ¨the social contract¨ and hobbes and locke borrowed his ideas

laissez faire

allowing business to operate with little or no government interference

adam smith

scottish economist who greatly admired the physiocrats and had influential work on the wealth of nations, free market should be allowed to regulate business activity.

censorship

restricting access to ideas or info (burning books, imprisoning writers)

salons

informal social gatherings at which writers, artists, philosophes, and other exchanged ideas

baroque

huge, colorful, and full of excitement paintings, sculptures, music, and architecture

rococo

moved away from religion, was lighter, elegant, and charming

enlightened despots

leaders who agreed with enlightment ideas

frederick the great

absolute monarch who considered himself the ¨first servant of the state¨, wrote voltaire

catherine the great

empress of russia, read the works of the philosophes and exchanged letters with voltaire and diderot, praised him?

joseph II

empress maria theresa son, who continued the reforms, was an eager student of the enlightment and he traveled in disguise among his subjects to learn of their problems

george III

eager to recover the powers the crown had lost, set out to reassert royal power, wanted to end whig domination, choose his own ministers, dissolve cabinet system, and make parliament follow his will.

stamp act

imposed taxes on items such as newspapers and pamphlets, ¨no taxation without representation¨

george washington

lead the american army, british thought he was going to be a flop because the army didnt have weapons or uniforms but turns out he persevered to amercian victory, his success lead him to be the first predsident

thomas jefferson

the principal author of the declaration of independence which is a document that reflects john lockes ideas of the governments obligation to protect the peoples natural rights to ¨life, liberty, and property¨

popular sovereignty

all government power comes from the people, is also an important point of the Declaration.

yorktown, virginia

where great britain surrerened in 1781

treaty of paris

american, british, and french diplomats sign this which britain recognized the independence of the united states of america

james madison

the conventions floor leader, his notebooks remained unpublished for 50 years but now is our main source of info about the birth of the constitution, helped write the u.s. constitution, father of the constitution

benjamin franklin

a philosopher, scientist, publisher, legislator, and diplomat. helped write the declaration of independace and constitution

federal republic

power divided between the federal, or national government and the states ,created by the constitution. shares power between national and state governments

separation of powers

dividing the government among the legislative(makes laws), executive(enforces laws), and judicial branches(interprets laws), idea borrowed directly from Montesquieu

checks and balances

a system that makes sure no branch of government becomes too powerful because each branch can limit the power of the others

bill of rights

the first ten amendments to the constitution that protect peoples basic rights, and freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press

federalism

a system of government where power is divided between the national government and state governments