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The Enlightenment

Driving Question: How did intellectual and ideological movements shape the revolutions that swept the Atlantic world from 1750 to 1900 CE?

The Enlightenment was a cultural and intellectual movement in Europe during the late 1600s that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights. Thinkers during this time questioned traditional authority and believed intellectual thought and reason could improve all areas of life. Their ideas about freedom, equality, and government helped inspire revolutions in the late 1700s. However, rising taxes and food prices also pushed people to take action and demand change.

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain the intellectual and ideological context in which revolutions swept the Atlantic world from 1750 to 1900 CE.
  2. Explain how the Enlightenment affected societies over time.
  3. Use graphic biographies to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this region. 
  4. Analyze primary source documents to evaluate the intellectual and ideological causes of political revolutions from c. 1750 to 1900 CE.

Vocab Terms:

  • abolish
  • conservative
  • gender
  • nationalism
  • nation-state
  • reform
  • suffrage
STEP 1

Opener: The Enlightenment

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 3 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Take a look at these ideas External link in the Community Forum for suggestions on extending the Enlightenment Quotes activity.

Words have a power that can transcend time. Review these excerpts from famous Enlightenment writers—you might be surprised at how relevant many of their thoughts still are today.

STEP 2

The Enlightenment

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 4 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Want tips for before-, during-, and after-reading scaffolds? Find reading strategies and more ways to support all learners in our Differentiation Guide Locked .

In what way was The Enlightenment enlightening for people? What were the ideas that helped society progress further?

STEP 3

Sovereignty

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 5 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

What does it mean to be free? Does popular sovereignty give people freedom, or does it mean that some have rights while others may not?

STEP 4

Source Collection: Words of the Enlightenment

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 6 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Taylor Swift or Enlightenment thinker? Add a fun twist to the Words of the Enlightenment Source Collection with this Community Forum thread External link .

STEP 5

Graphic Biography: Edmund Burke

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 7 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Want to learn more about Enlightenment thinkers like Burke? Read Bennett Sherry’s blog, “Give me cereal, or you get death!

Is it possible to be both liberal and conservative at the same time? Edmund Burke was. In this graphic biography, you will find out how!

STEP 6

Why Was Slavery Abolished? Three Theories

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 8 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

It took time for slavery to be abolished—but why? This article examines three theories about the end of slavery in the Atlantic world.

STEP 7

Origins and Impact of Nationalism

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 9 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Nationalism grew across many parts of the world throughout the long nineteenth century. But why? This article may provide some answers.

STEP 8

Women’s Suffrage Around the World

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 10 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Check out our Comparison One Pager to learn more about how we approach this historical thinking practice.

It may seem normal now, but women’s right to vote is a relatively recent achievement. The fight for this right was a long and arduous struggle. Compare what suffrage looked like across the world, using the materials below.

STEP 9

Closer: The Enlightenment

Teaching Tools

To teach this lesson step, refer to page 13 of the Lesson 5.1 Teaching Guide Locked .

Wanting to include more women in history class? This blog post External link  is full of ideas!

Harriet Forten Purvis not only fought the institution of slavery, but also fought the male-dominated institutions that, during her time, denied her the right to vote.