Enlightenment DBQ

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During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Enlightenment took place in Europe. This era was also known as the "Age of Reason". It was a new intellectual movement that consisted of reason and the power of individual thought brought up by philosophers: John Locke, Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet), and Mary Wollstonecraft. Since every philosopher had a main idea, what was theirs'? The three philosophers' main idea was to improve society by bringing forward the ideas of freedom in government, religion, and gender roles. John Locke, a philosopher during the Enlightenment, believed in improving society
- life, liberty, and property. The purpose of government,...,is to protect these rights. If a government fails to do so, citizens have …show more content…

Looking back at the Royal Exchange in London, "...where the representatives of all nations meet for the benefit of mankind. There the Jew, the Mahometan (Muslim), and the Christian transact together as tho' they all professed the same religion" (Doc B). People were free to interact with others from different religions. There was not one authorized person at the trade center to say that the cultures could not communicate with one another. To further reflect on his experience at the Royal Exchange, Voltaire states, "If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary; if there were but two, the people would cut one another's throats; but as there are such a multitude, they all live happy and in peace" (Doc B). With one religion, a country would become tyrannical; with two religions, a country would become divided and people would fall into peer pressure; but with multiple religions, a country would become diverse and people would have their choice of free will. In short, Voltaire's belief of freedom in religion not only allowed a country to live peacefully, but also encouraged a country to prosper in …show more content…

In Wollstonecraft's opinion "The most perfect education,..., is ... to enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as will render (her)independent" (Doc D). The purpose of education allows an individual to achieve their full potential. Education permits independent freedom for women who are unable to be self-reliant. In Wollstonecraft's essay, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, her belief was "that women, like men, need education to become virtuous and useful" (Beck, Black, and Krieger 1254). Like men, women have rights to equal education opportunities. Equal education enables women to freely feel ambitious and utilitarian. To conclude, Mary Wollstonecraft's promotion of freedom for gender roles improved society by equal educational rights of the

The Enlightenment Dbq
875 Words | 2 Pages
Voltaire went to prison twice and spent multiple years in exile. The experiences he went through in his lifetime helped him develop his views on religion. He believed that everyone had the right to choose their religion and be free to practice that religion where they want. There would be conflicts between religious citizens and the government if there wasn’t freedom of religion. This choice should be available in England, according to Voltaire, to prevent problems from arising. “If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary; if there were two, the people would cut one another's throats; but as there are such multitude, they all live happy and in peace.” The choice of religion belongs solely to the individual and shouldn’t be able to be taken away from a
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Declaration Of Independence Summary
1252 Words | 3 Pages
"This is the very point I aim at. I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves" (Wollstonecraft 63). Wollstonecraft made this statement in response to Roseau dictating that if society "[Educated] women like men..." (Wollstonecraft 63), and women would resemble the male sex, and then carry less power over men. Instead of succumbing to men, Wollstonecraft stressed how education could elevate a women to reach equal statue in society. Following similar ideas to the Tao Te Ching and the Art of War, Wollstonecraft serves education as a tool of discipline to women who can use it to help elevate them in society. Wollstonecraft points out in her introduction that, "One cause to [the problem of women sacrificing their usefulness and strength to beauty attributes] to a false system of education..." (Wollstonecraft 6), and how a reformation and push for women to better educate themselves and look past what is currently there will help them reach higher status in society; therefore giving them their own independence. As Wollstonecraft dictates, "It follows then, I think, that from their infancy women should either be shut up like eastern princes, or educated in such a manner as to be able to think and act for themselves (Wollstonecraft
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Comparing The Slavery Of Fredrick Douglass And Mary Wollstonecraft
1162 Words | 3 Pages
Born as a free woman in London, England Mary argued for education along with unjust laws for women that subjected them to a form of slavery. As the world around her at the time was facing a political breakthrough with the United States using idea’s formed by philosophers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes theories in the social contract, to break free from England, she hoped the French Revolution would create an era of equality and reason. Wollstonecraft places her opinion that the condition of adult women is caused by the neglect of education for girls. Most of the essay is based on her argument for education of
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Dbq On Enlightenment
665 Words | 2 Pages
The philosopher’s main idea of equality can be seen through the ideas and thoughts of Voltaire and Mary Wollstonecraft. In Document B it says “If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary (unrestrained); if there were but two, the people would cut one another’s throats; but as there are such a multitude, they all live happy and in peace.” Voltaire, a French Enlightenment philosopher, says if religious choice is restricted then bitterness arises and different religious groups will go after each other's throats. He believes that if freedom of religion is allowed within a state than people can live peacefully with one another since no one would feel superior to another. John Locke’s ideas on creating a government by the people and Voltaire’s ideas on practicing any religion shows how many enlightenment philosophers wanted people to live peacefully with others and the society.
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Enlightenment DBQ
1096 Words | 3 Pages
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were also known as the enlightenment or the age of reason because of its new ideas and innovations. Europe experienced a series of the drastic changes and revolutions. This altered the way people lived and their standards of living. The people responsible for this were known as the philosophes. They questioned the world and suggested answers to many problems. Notable philosophes include John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft along with many others. The Enlightenment philosophes worked to advance society and improve life for people. Although many philosophes worked to improve the conditions of the people, they sought to do this by different means. John Locke worked to stabilize the political aspects of Europe.
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Dbq The Enlightenment
962 Words | 2 Pages
The Enlightenment was the time period that followed the Scientific Revolution and was characterized as the "Age of Reason". This was the time when man began to use his reason to discover the world around him rather than blindly follow what the previous authority, such as the Church and Classical Philosophers, stated to be true. The Enlightenment was a tremendously broad movement that dominated much of the European thinking during the 18th century, however, several core themes that epitomized the movement were the idea of progress, skepticism against the Church, and individualism.
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Analysis Of Wollstonecraft's Essay On Radical Feminism
409 Words | 1 Pages
A change in feminism is shown between Wollstonecraft’s essay and Young’s essay. As women first demanded rights, they were coming out of complete dependence on men. Wollstonecraft and other activists fought for the basic right of education for women. As women gained liberty, they began to oppress themselves in the Third Wave of feminism. Wollstonecraft focused on the basic rights of women in her paper, saying “They must be permitted to turn to the fountain of light, and not forced to shape their course by the twinkling of a mere satellite” (Wollstonecraft 5). Here Wollstonecraft is saying that women need to be given the opportunity to get a good education, not just be taught by what their husbands tell them, so they could be their better selves.
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Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft
403 Words | 1 Pages
Mary Wollstonecraft was as revolutionary in her writings as Thomas Paine. They were both very effective writers and conveyed the messages of their ideas quite well even though both only had only the most basic education. Wollstonecraft was a woman writing about women's rights at a time when these rights were simply non-existent and this made her different from Paine because she was breaking new ground, thus making her unique. Throughout her lifetime, Wollstonecraft wrote about the misconception that women did not need an education, but were only meant to be submissive to man. Women were treated like a decoration that had no real function except to amuse and beguile. Wollstonecraft was the true leader in women's rights, advocating a partnership in relationships and marriage rather than a dictatorship. She was firm in her conviction that education would give women the ability to take a more active role in life itself.
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The Enlightenment Dbq Analysis
819 Words | 2 Pages
The Enlightenment was a time of social growth that was driven by four philosophers; Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Each of the four philosophers had different views on how to, the government should be ran and organized. The way today’s government is based upon some of the things that the each of them believed and stated. An example of an enlightenment would be the European movement of the 17th and 18th century that was influenced by Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau.
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Comparing Voltaire's Candide And Mary Shelley
1175 Words | 3 Pages
The Enlightenment had its roots in the scientific and philosophical movements of the 17th century. It was, in large part, a rejection of the faith-based medieval world view for a way of thought based on structured inquiry and scientific understanding. It stressed individualism, and it rejected the church's control of the secular activities of men. Among the movement's luminaries were Descartes, Newton, and Locke. They, among others, stressed the individual's use of reason to explain and understand the world about himself in all of its aspects. Important principles of the Enlightenment included the use of science to examine all aspects of life (this was labeled "reason"),...
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Similarities Between Locke And Wollstonecraft
552 Words | 2 Pages
She was looking to make women as equal as men were back then. “To render [make] mankind more virtuous, and happier of course, both sexes must act from the same principle;... women must be allowed to found their virtue on knowledge , which is scarcely possible unless they be educated by the same pursuits [studies] as men.” Mary Wollstonecraft On National Education. This quote tell us that if women got the same education as men did they would be just as smart.
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Voltaire's Affect on Modern Western Society
962 Words | 2 Pages
... Although he advocated religious tolerance, he believed that any one church should not have absolute power. By the time he was executed, he had already brought about the end of the power and right of the church to torture France. People in France still are not as faithful to the Catholic Church as they had been before Voltaire had introduced them to the idea of “reasoning”. The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason.
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Moral of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
1856 Words | 4 Pages
The Age of Enlightenment was characterized by the reign of reason. Enlightenment thinkers believed in the supremacy of reason above all other human faculties, and in the perfectibility of man and therefore society. Scientific understanding and the pursuit of knowledge were key pursuits in this time. Materialism was emphasized as an overt rejection of the superstition of the Middle Ages. The ideals of the Enlightenment were rationality, objectivism, and the “enlightened” society based on pragmatism.
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Failure Of Enlightenment
1230 Words | 3 Pages
The Enlightenment era was one of the most innovative ages in the history of political theory. Its leading writers created the foundations of modern sociology, developed utilitarianism, and gave democratic theory the most profound formulation it has ever received. Enlightenment philosophes such as Rousseau and Montesquieu began spreading this new style of thinking in France. They published pamphlets that introduced the ideas of popular sovereignty and balanced government structures. Their emphasis of reason and logic rather than tradition struck a chord with the frustrated French population during the late 18th century.
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Mary Wollstonecraft
1202 Words | 3 Pages
Mary Wollstonecraft was a self-educated, radical philosopher who wrote about liberation, and empowering women. She had a powerful voice on her views of the rights of women to get good education and career opportunities. She pioneered the debate for women’s rights inspiring many of the 19th and the 20th century’s writers and philosophers to fight for women’s rights, as well. She did not only criticize men for not giving women their rights, she also put a blame on women for being voiceless and subservient. Her life and, the surrounding events of her time, accompanied by the strong will of her, had surely affected the way she chose to live her life, and to form her own philosophies.
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