unit five part one

empiricism

the view that knowledge and understanding originate in experience and therefore, should rely on observation and experimentation.

abolition

the act or an act of abolishing a system, practice, or institution. Often referred to the institution of Slavery.

natural rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, by their creator not the state; which include the right to life, liberty, and property.

social contract

an agreement between the people, their government, and themselves signifying their consent to be governed and cooperate in society.

scientific revolution

a major change in European thought, starting in the mid-1500s, in which the study of the natural world began to be characterized by careful observation and the questioning of accepted beliefs.

separation of powers

the division of a centralized government into two or more branches, each having its own responsibilities and authorities.

separation of state and church

the concept that religion and government should remain separate, especially in terms of the legal and ruling power.

john locke

the english philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

voltaire

a French philosopher. He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the corruption of the French government and the intolerance of the Catholic Church.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

a French philosopher who believed that Human beings are naturally good & free & can rely on their instincts. Government should exist to protect the common good, and be a democracy.

hierarchy

a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

Facilitated

make (an action or process) easy or easier.

Precision

a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another

State-Sponsored

something supported or developed by a government

Nation-State

a sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

French Revolution document that outlined what the National Assembly considered to be the natural rights of all people and the rights that they possessed as citizens

Letter from Jamaica

document written by Simon Bolivar, 1815 Bolívar explained his thoughts about the social and political situation of the Spanish America at the time, the power of the Spanish Empire and the possible future of the new nations that would be created after its collapse.

Simon Bolivar

The most important military leader in the struggle for independence in South America. Born in Venezuela, he led military forces there and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Robespierre

A French political leader of the eighteenth century. A Jacobin, he was one of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution. He was in charge of the government during the Reign of Terror, when thousands of persons were executed without trial. After a public reaction against his extreme policies, he was executed without trial.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Was an important leader of the Haïtian Revolution and the first leader of a free Haiti; in a long struggle again the institution of slavery, he led the blacks to victory over the whites and free coloreds and secured native control over the colony in 1797, calling himself a dictator.

Miguel Hildalgo y Costilla

a New Spanish Roman Catholic priest, a leader of the Mexican War of Independence, and recognized as the Father of the Nation. He was captured and executed in 1811.

Self-Strengthening Movement

China's program of internal reform in the 1860s and 1870s, based on vigorous application of Confucian principles and limited borrowing from the West.

Tanzimat Reforms

Ottoman reforms directed at Europe to suggest that the Ottoman Empire belonged among the European nations as well as a commitment to transform the Empire based on European models, eventually leading to a new constituiton

Thomas Hobbes

English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty,such as monarchies as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679)

Vindication of the Rights of Women

Written by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1792, this tract was one of the earliest expressions of feminist consciousness.