Compare And Contrast The Enlightenment Ideas Of Montesquieu And Rousseau

John Locke an English writer states that “ As guards and fences to the properties of all the members of the society, to limit the power and moderate the domination, of every part and member of the society.” (Doc.5) ‘Society’- The general public must endeavor to fight for a say in court for the laws that are being created and used against for them. Through people like Locke, it created an equality in the government, which now involved the voices of the lower class(Mkay). Voltaire, French writer and most famously known for “ I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” , (Doc 6.)Writes the letters on the English, which highlight the importance of a well-governed government, one of which involves the help of all, not just nobles.

Two particular enlightenment thinkers were Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Paine’s main focus in his works was that self-government is possible. He really spoke to the colonists in a way they could understand because he was just like them, meaning he was not well-educated but was able to express his thoughts in a persuasive way that impacted the colonists daily lives. The most important pamphlet he ever wrote was called Common Sense and was read by many people, and was even referenced at the Second Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson was greatly influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment while he was writing the Declaration of Independence, along with many other of the Founding Fathers as well.

The Enlightenment placed great emphasis on the individualism and secularism. For example, John Locke introduced ideas of natural rights. These natural rights were to be protected by the government, and if they were not, the people had the right to overthrow the government. For the first time, colonists were given the opportunity to have power and a say in government. Power came from the individual rather than a religious authority like it previously was before.

Also, Montesquieu supported separation of power and a system of of checks and balances. Another was Adam Smith believed government should not interfere with free market economy. As well there was Voltaire, who believed in freedom of speech, John Locke said that people could revolt when their government wasn’t protecting the natural rights. Lastly, Rousseau wrote the social contract. They were important because they bought new ideas.

The Enlightenment gave way to new ideas about the natural born rights of citizens and equality, and fueled the concept of liberalism. In document four, The French Revolution by Albert Mathiez, the author stated that the Revolution was accomplished in men’s minds before it actually came to fruition. The ideas that helped the men accomplish this were the ideas of the Enlightenment, proving that this time period helped cause the French Revolution. Another main concept of the Enlightenment was the concept of immutable laws of nature, and in document six, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, these laws are used as evidence to support the idea that the Third Estate is everything. The belief that the Third Estate was a crucial part of the French society was what fueled the Revolution, furthering the idea that the Enlightenment helped lead to the French Revolution.

Our society would not be what it is today if it wasn't for the three French philosophers for the individual freedom, freedom in government, religion, economy, and gender equality. John Locke, Voltaire, and Adam Smith were four of the many great philosophers, who changed our society and the shaped the capitalistic democratic world that we live in today. These philosophers lived in a time of bright and amazing new ideas, known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. Here are the main ideas of Enlightenment. John Locke (1632-1704) was one of the three main French philosophers.

we have today. John Locke impacted us the most when giving us the ideas of natural and equality The enlightenment thinkers impacted the united states today by having good ideas of natural rights and ways of running the government which influenced the people and government among the people in this certain government. The grievance that change the U.S. “For quartering large bodies of troops among we the people. This grievance is a social contract stating that people had to house soldiers during the war. This grievance impacts the people today by showing that people are lucky that they don 't have to house soldier and shows how free we actually are.

The Age of Enlightenment lasted from the 1620s to the 1780s, and was a period of time where many great thinkers emphasized individual freedoms and logical reasoning. Enlightenment challenged many prominent organizations, such as the Roman Catholic Church and some governmental organizations. One Enlightenment thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Voltaire), thought that “government should be responsible for the people and supply to them freedom and happiness. The people thus agree to be governed on such terms1”. Voltaire believed that the government should cater to the people’s needs, and not control its citizens and take away their freedoms.

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement created by many philosophers of the 18th century aimed to change their governments. These philosophers wished for more rights for the people and more representation in a constitutional government instead of the monarchy. Philosophers like Voltaire called for tolerance, reason as the primary source of authority, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech and expression. In addition he promoted the separation of religious and state, in order to mark a distance between any organized religion and the nation state. The political philosopher Montesquieu introduced the idea of a separation of powers in a government.

The Enlightenment became the era in history where traditional beliefs started to be questioned and people started to think logically. In the period between 1700s and 1800s, the Enlightenment appeared to be a period of intellectual reasoning in the thirteen American colonies. This period influenced the American government; thanks to John Locke, a British philosopher who believed in natural rights in which all men are born free. Another would be Montesquieu, a French philosopher who thought that the separation of powers influenced greatly a good function for a government. Lastly would be Voltaire, an outspoken French philosopher who believed in freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

During this time he had to hear many legal proceedings, supervised prisons, and administered various punishments including things as malicious as torture. However whenever he was able to he would be active in the Academy of Bordeaux. This is where Montesquieu would keep a track of scientific developments, and give papers on topics ranging from the causes of echoes to the motives that should lead us to pursue the sciences. However, even though he gave speeches from all of the many topics that were researched at the time his main passion was the in the spirit that lay behind law. It was from the interest in this field that he created his greatest work The Spirit of the Laws.

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet(Voltaire)was born on November 21, 1694. He was a french engliment writer. Voltaire was best known for his attacks to the church and for supporting what is called freedom of expression and the separation of church and state. He is remembered for his couraged to fight for the civil rights. Volataire wrote about a total of 2,000 books and pamphlets and 20,000 letters.

To quote Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, “Reason is natural revelation.” The reasoning and new ideas from Enlightenment philosophers was what shaped today’s society. The central idea of the Enlightenment philosophers of 17th and 18th century Europe was driven by Adam Smith’s thoughts on economy regarding economic decision making and the positive effects of the lack of government interference, the new political opinions and proposals regarding freedom and how it is obtained, expressed by John Locke, and the social and religious ideas regarding religious acceptance and having multiple religious influences in one place from Voltaire. The philosophers of the Enlightenment also were driven by the political theories expanding through Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. John Locke, an Enlightenment philosopher during the late 1600s proposed new theories about politics and government in his literature titled “Second Treatise on Civil Government”.

This sharing of power added ideas from the newly formed government that focused on the freedoms of citizens in England. Voltaire contended that the English government had successfully limited the power of the monarchy by affirming the power of the nobility, criticizing the French feudal system for its inability to share political power amongst the citizens of France (6). Advocating a limited monarchy to hold political discussions concerning the progress of the French government towards liberal reforms during the French Revolution. Voltaire as an enlightened philosophe, published papers about the rationality of the French government, which influenced his attitude towards the English constitutional monarchy that implemented the enlightened ideal of liberty. John Locke wrote that the purpose of electing legislative powers was to create laws and rules that protected the “properties of all the members of society,” a natural right of mankind (5).

The Age of Reason Ideals of liberty and equality help to fuel major revolutions in the Western world. In this Age of Reason, or Enlightenment, great thinkers questioned the ideas of authority and government leading to a radical transformation in both colonial America and France. The American Revolution and the French Revolution are directly linked to Enlightenment ideals and inspired these great revolutions, and great dictators such as Napoleon Bonaparte, whom was a product of the Enlightenment. This time of guiding intellectual movement is emphasized by reason and individualism rather than tradition. With the help of the Scientific revolution that explains the natural world, intellectuals challenged the way people saw the world around them.