civics: enlightenment vocab

Enlightenment

An 18th-century intellectual movement that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and religious authority.

Reason

The use of logic and evidence rather than tradition or faith to understand the world and solve problems.

Natural Rights

Rights that all people possess simply by being human, not granted by governments or kings. 

Social Contract

The idea that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed, and that people agree to give up some freedoms in exchange for protection of their rights.

Sovereignty

Supreme political authority. In Enlightenment thought, sovereignty was said to rest with the people, not with kings. 

Divine Right of Kings

The pre-Enlightenment belief that monarchs received their authority directly from God and could not be questioned or removed. 

Philosophe

A French term for the Enlightenment intellectuals who spread new ideas about reason, rights, and government through writing and debate.

Tyranny

Cruel, oppressive, or unjust government — especially the abuse of power by a ruler or government. 

John Locke

English philosopher who argued that all people are born with natural rights (life, liberty, and property) and that government exists only to protect those rights. 

Two Treatises of Government

John Locke's foundational political work arguing against absolute monarchy and for government based on consent of the governed.

Tabula Rasa

Latin for "blank slate" — Locke's theory that people are born without innate ideas and are shaped entirely by experience and environment. 

Montesquieu

French philosopher who argued in The Spirit of the Laws that government power should be divided among separate branches to prevent tyranny.

Separation of Powers

The division of government authority among distinct branches (legislative, executive, judicial) so that no single person or group holds all power. 

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of government has the ability to limit the power of the other branches, preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful. 

Mary Wollstonecraft

British writer and philosopher who argued in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman that women deserved the same natural rights and education as men. 

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft's landmark 1792 work arguing that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so only because they are denied education and opportunity.

Consent of the Governed 

The principle that a government's legitimacy comes from the agreement of the people it governs.

Right of Revolution

Locke's argument that when a government violates the social contract and fails to protect natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow it. 

Religious Tolerance 

The acceptance of different religious beliefs and practices without persecution. Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire argued that no government should impose a single religion. 

Voltaire

French Enlightenment writer known for his sharp criticism of religious intolerance, censorship, and political tyranny.

Rousseau

Swiss-French philosopher who argued that society corrupts naturally good people and that the "general will" of the people should guide the government.

General Will

Rousseau's concept that the collective interest of the community — not the will of any individual or faction — should guide government decisions.

Republicanism 

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf, rather than being ruled by a monarch.

Liberty

Freedom from arbitrary or oppressive government control; the ability to act, speak, and think freely within the law.

Declaration of Independence

The founding document of the United States, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, which declared independence from Britain and articulated Enlightenment principles of natural rights and consent of the governed.

Declaration of Sentiments

Written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention, this document modeled itself on the Declaration of Independence to demand equal rights for women

Federalist Papers

A series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay (1787–1788) to argue for ratification of the Constitution, drawing on Enlightenment principles of reason, checks and balances, and republican government.

Abolitionism 

The movement to end slavery, which drew on Enlightenment arguments about natural rights and human equality to challenge the institution of slavery.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Legacy of the Enlightenment

The lasting impact of Enlightenment ideas on modern democracy, human rights, and the ongoing struggle for equality.