3.4 (Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution)

PG. 158-161

What was a point of divergence between the colonies and loyalty?

many Americans tried to justify the diverging directions from the King in Britain

The era of the Enlightenment was at its peak in the _?

mid-18th century

What does a diest believe?

They believe in God, but in one who had established natural laws in creating the universe and then rarely or never intervened directly in human affairs.

Why did diesim clash with Christianity?

A diest believed that God set the rules but then allowed people to make choices, while Christians mostly thought God regularly intervened in everyday life, often to reward or punish individuals or groups for their actions.

Rationalists

While most were Christians, their trust in reason led them to emphasize studying science and human behavior rather than following traditional interpretations of the Bible.

Social Contract

the concept of an agreement among people to form a government to promote liberty and equality.

Why was the social contract a sharp break in government at the time?

monarchs actively and formerly ruled by divine right—because God had chosen them.

Under the social contract, power came from ____, not from ____.

below, not above

Which main Enlightenment thinkers contributed to the social contract

John Locke and others, developed further by the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

What was one of the most important pieces of writing by an American colonist?

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

What did Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, argue?

The colonies should become independent states and break all political ties with the British monarchy.

What was contrary to common sense?

for a large continent to be ruled by a small and distant island, and for people to pledge allegiance to a king whose government was corrupt and whose laws were unreasonable.

Who did Paine attack in his pamphlet?

King George III and even the ideas of a monarchy.

Why was Paine so successful?

his writing was based largely on his ability to make complicated, abstract ideas understandable for common readers.

Which article became a key factor in widening the divide between the colonies and Great Britain?

Common Sense

For many years, the traditional view of the founding of America was that the American Revolution was based on the ideas of the .

Englightment

What changed regarding how historians viewed the American Revolution?

Rather than purely the Enlightenment thoughts, they believed that the movement to end British dominance had provided an opportunity to radically change American society.