The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical movement beginning in France that stressed logic and reason as the basis of authority. The movement lasted through the 18th and 19th centuries. The movement brought along changes and leaders along with forever impacting world history. As stated above, the movement began in France and was inspired by King Louis XIV and his absolute control. He taxed many to starvation and poverty and built the Palace of Versaille to show off his wealth while believing he was made by God to be king. The movement started to question the government and brought along doubts about Divine Right. People started wanting a say in what the government did. Aside from that, people started to use the scientific method and …show more content…
He believed in three types of government: monarchy, republic, and despotism. He believed in separation of powers, or bureaucracy, with checks and balances to keep them all equally powerful. John Locke was a British philosopher of this time who believed that everyone is born with the natural right to life, liberty, and property. He also believed that people are born with a clean mind and that humans were capable of figuring out everything. Voltaire, a French philosopher, advocated for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and a fair trial. The Age of Enlightenment came with many changes. The American Revolution came because of the philosophical ideas of this time. In the United States Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which is a similar idea to John Locke’s life, liberty, and property idea. The people of France were also inspired by these ideas and they also underwent a revolution. People also began to have new views on religion. They began to believe that God did not intervene in natural laws. Some people changed religion and some even went as far as being