Section 1: The Scientific Revolution
Vocabulary:
Geocentric: A system of planetary motion where the Earth is in the center of the universe, with the sun, moon, and other planets revolving around it.
Ptolemaic system: The geocentric model of the universe that prevailed in the Middle Ages.
Heliocentric: The system of the universe where the earth and planets revolve around the sun.
Universal law of gravitation: One of the three rules of motion governing the planetary bodies.
Rationalism: A system of thought expounded by Rene Descartes based on belief that reason is the main source of knowledge.
Scientific method: A systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing evidence that was very important to the evolution of science in the modern world.
Inductive reasoning: Scientist should proceed from looking in particular areas to looking in general areas.
Section 2: The Enlightenment
Vocabulary:
Philosophe: French word for philosopher.
Separation of powers: A form of government in which the legislative, executive, and judicial branches limit and control each other through a system of checks and balances.
Deism: A religious philosophy based on reason and natural law.
Laissez-faire: An idea that the states should not impose government regulations but should leave the economy alone.
Social contract: The idea that an entire society agrees to be governed by its general will, and all individuals should be forced to abide by the general will since it shows what is best for all of the community.
Salon: The drawing rooms of great urban houses where writers, artist, aristocrats, government officials, and wealthy middle lass people gathered to talk about the ideas of the philosophes, helping to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment.
People:
John Locke: An English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers.
Montesquieu: A French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Age of Enlightenment.
Voltaire: A French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his knowledge, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state.
Denis Diderot: A French philosopher, art critic and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment.
Adam Smith: A Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: A philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological, and educational thought.
Mary Wollstonecraft: She was an eighteenth-century English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights.
John Wesley: He was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian.
Section 3: The Impact of the Enlightenment
Vocabulary:
Rococo: A style of art that replaced baroque in the 1730; it was highly secular, emphasizing grace, charm, and gentle action.
Enlightened absolution: A system in which rules tried to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their full royal powers.
People:
Bach: He was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque period.
Handel: He was a German born Baroque composer famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos.
Haydn: He was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent of the Classical period.
Mozart: He was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era.
Frederick the Great: He was King in Prussia of the Hohenzollern dynasty.
Maria Theresa: She was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg.
Catherine the Great: She was the most renowned and the longest ruling female leader of Russia.
SECTION 4: Colonial Empires and the American Revolution
Vocabulary:
Mestizo: A person of mixed European and native American Indian descent.
Mulatto: A person of mixed African and European descent.
Federal system: A form of government in which power is shared between the national government and state governments.
People:
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz: She was a self-taught scholar and poet of the Baroque school.
Robert Walpole: He was a British statesman who is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.