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Dbq Essay On The Enlightenment

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During the 17th-18th century, a movement referred to as The Enlightenment arose in the efforts by philosophers to reassemble European politics, beliefs, science, and communications. The purpose was to solve problems in the world with reason. An example of philosophers can be seen in Baron de Montesquieu’s view on wanting a separation of powers; Adam Smith’s thought of laissez-faire where the government allows business to operate with little or no government interference; and John Locke’s idea that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and property. John Locke influenced the foundation for people believing in natural rights. This stimulated an outbreak of revolutions such as The Revolutionary War, French Revolution, and The Saint Domingo …show more content…

King George III enacted the Quartering Act and the Stamp act in 1765 A.D. The Quartering Act made the people in the colonies have to give shelter and food to a soldier who is living at their house, while the Stamp Act was a tax on stamps. He did this to pay for the debt from the French and Indian War where England has been fighting, for the colonies. This caused anger towards England because the colonies felt that they shouldn’t need to pay for the war. King George III tried to resolve the conflict by repealing the Stamp Act in 1766 A.D. But, he passes the Townshend Acts in 1766 A.D that caused more frustration because it was a tax on all bare essentials including tea. The Colonies by creating a constitution to prevent the events from the past to never happen again. James Madison, inspired by john Locke’s idea of natural rights was granted the gift of writing the constitution in 1778. In the in the First Amendment of the Constitution states “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This document will change the colonies by the people to becoming free and laying the foundation for the future of the country. Overall, the American …show more content…

The Three Estate System was the splitting of the citizens based on their class in society. There was the Clergy (church), the Nobility (nobles) who make up the first and second estate, and the commoners as the third estate. It was unfair that the Clergy and Nobility had only made up 2% of the country’s population but, had 35% of the land; special privileges were given by King Louis XVI gave special privileges to them. These privileges were that the Clergy and Nobility didn’t pay taxes and got to wear special clothing in public. The Third Estate, especially the Bourgeoisie, made up 98% of the French population were irritated with King Louis XVI because they had no special privileges, they paid 50% income tax, and had only 65% of land for 98% of the population. Also, France was in a debt from aiding the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War versus Britain. France did this because they have been enemies of Britain for hundreds of years and want to make Britain lose. By the end of the revolutionary war, France spent 1.3 billion Francs and was 3.35 million Francs in debt. This will cost an economic depression in France causing the citizens to be bitter. In addition to the economic depression in France, France had a couple years of an atrocious harvest. Resulting in food prices

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390 Words | 2 Pages

Economically, heavy taxes fell on the three estates. Firstly, France endured social imbalance during the French Revolution. Many people during this time were very poor and there was an increased bread price on the people of the third estate (Doc 1). Representing the fact that the third estate were treated unfairly then

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524 Words | 3 Pages

The Quartering act was set into affect on May 3, 1765. The purpose behind the Quartering act was so that Britain could save money by forcing towns people to shelter and feed British soldiers with their own money. After the debacle with the Stamp act this infuriated the colonists of New York and they refused to pay the tax, but intern were threatened by Britain that all laws passed would be nullified. After the other colonies herd this they all gathered to New York's aid and threatened to resist all taxes from Britain. Even though Britain didn't want to change the Quartering act they were forced to after the resistance from the other colonies.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

Shortly after the Seven Year War ended, King Louis agreed to help the American colonists in the American War. That sent the country into over 240 million Euros in debt. (Doc E) France was in an economic depression and Louis only spent more. The third estate struggled to feed their family for the price of bread skyrocketed. On top of that, the taxation system was corrupt.

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685 Words | 3 Pages

Soon after the Seven Years’ War, the British and the colonists learned that victory came with a rather expensive price (Kennedy, Cohen, & Bailey, 2010). Great Britain tightened its grip on the colonies in North America, expecting colonists to pay for their financial struggles. In order to make colonists pay for the war, Great Britain reminded the North American colonies who had authority by controlling the colonists to submit to various ordinances ratified by British Parliament. This action only showed that arrogance leads to rebellion socially, economically, and politically. Socially, a lack of communication between Great Britain and the North American colonies was to blame for the Revolutionary War.

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661 Words | 3 Pages

Sruly Brach Mr Semach P. 4 10/22/14 What is the third Estate? The Third Estate by Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès is a pamphlet written pre-French Revolutionary war about the importance, yet no appreciation of the Third Estate. In the first section of his essay I will discuss the three causes of the French Revolution: The financial crisis, the lack of nationalism, and the misrepresentation. In the second section of this essay I will discuss three topics about Sieyès: his background, his relationship to the third estate and his role in the mid and post revolution government.

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943 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction: After the prolonged and disparaging Thirty Years War, philosophers took up a new notion of life and how, what and why things are the way they are in the world. Many also took into effect believing in scientific reasoning’s over biblical outlooks, looking for logical answers to all the many mysteries of the world and the afterlife. Enlightenment philosophers also constructed ways in which they thought people should act. For example, philosopher Voltaire explained his reasons for how “people should be citizens of the world” (Voltaire, “Patrie, in the philosophers dictionary”, 1752). THESIS:

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483 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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553 Words | 3 Pages

The Stamp act was an act, which we the colonists had to pay taxes: on printed papers, newspapers, pamphlets, marriage licenses, and playing cards. The stamp act was enforced in 1765 to raise money to pay off debts in the French and Indian war. The Quartering act was an act, which Great Britain wanted to protect its colonies and also keep them under close control. In 1765 the British parliament passed the quartering act law. It forced us to give the soldiers quarters, food, and transportation.

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782 Words | 4 Pages

Before the rule of Napoleon, saw that the ex-peasants were having trouble paying for basic necessities because of the high taxes. Now, they are able to spend some money on things they want because they do not have to pay it all in taxes.” Because France’s economy was improving, Napoleon makes sure that the third estate was not required to pay high taxes which they could not affotrd. This makes the people who earn less money more content since they were now able to spend the money they usually would on taxes, on things for their own pleasure instead. Since everyone is to pay taxes depending on how much money they made, it caused more people to live happy and more economically stable

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1128 Words | 5 Pages

In the two years prior to the Revolution (1788-1789), France suffered many harvest failures and harsh weather; this triggered a shortage of grain, consequently increasing the price of bread. This lead to a food deficiency as well as mass unemployment for the people (especially the 3rd estate) who couldn’t afford it. The price of bread increased 25% during August 1788 and July 1789. In August 1788, the 3rd estate only needed to spend 50% of their wages to buy bread. However, in July 1789, it rose to 75%.

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566 Words | 3 Pages

In France, before the revolution, commoners were taxed by the 1st and 2nd estates, making them poor and unable to buy necessities. In Document 2 there are two people labeled “1st Estate” and “2nd Estate” standing on an object, labeled “taxes”, that is weighing down the “3rd Estate” and crushing them(The Political and Social System of France) . This shows that the first and second estates were not only more powerful than the third estate, but they also were only on top because of the taxes they enforced on the third estate. The over-taxation of the third estate was the most important economic cause of the French

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256 Words | 2 Pages

During the 20th century, opposition to the Enlightenment began to emerge from a very different angle with the rise and spread of postmodernism. The Enlightenment is the main discount of the most postmodernist thinkers. Postmodernist thinkers and philosophers tend to see the Enlightenment’s supposed universalism, rationalism, and naturalism as dangerously hegemonic, totalizing, and essentialism. Within postmodernism Enlightenment's big theories and principles about the progressive liberation of humanity through science and the possibility of a universal rational consensus are insupportable and old, because modern population realize that no such theory can adequately describe and contain us all. A lot of post modernist scholars and thinkers

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1160 Words | 5 Pages

In the early 1700’s France was an absolute monarchy, they were in an excessive amount of debt due to lavish spending, and were divided into three estates. The first estate consisting of clergy and second estate being the nobles. The peasants who made up the third estate and majority of the population were taxed highly and had no say, nor rights, which led to their revolt. Louis XVI ruled until the Revolution took place. He and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were heavy contributors to the nation's debt.

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604 Words | 3 Pages

Enlightenment is defined as “The eighteenth-century philosophy and trend that emphasized reason, individualism, and human rights as opposed to tradition” (Mason 209). Enlightenment removes the theological hierarchy as an explanation for questions and it restructured society with the laws of nature. The social contract theories written in the seventeenth and eighteenth century by Locke and Rousseau are social structures that are not interpreted by the clergies as the word of God. Locke states that we are free by nature to protect our liberty and that the government should only protect what we cannot protect ourselves from.

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589 Words | 3 Pages

During this time, the nation of France was divided into three estates. The First Estate was the clergy, or church, the Second Estate were the nobles, and the Third Estate stood for the working class and the impoverished.

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