Last Name:     Period: 
 
First Name: 

WH PROLOGUE-4

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 
 
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that developed in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Thinkers of this movement had been influenced by the Scientific Revolution. They hoped to use reasoning instead of traditional beliefs to discover natural laws that govern society.

One Enlightenment thinker was Thomas Hobbes. He believed that the best form of government was
absolute monarchy. He said people should form a type of social contract with a ruler. They would submit to a ruler to prevent disorder.

John Locke took a different view. He said all people had natural rights. These were the rights to life, liberty, and property. He said people form governments to protect these natural rights. He also said people have a right to rebel against a government that does not protect their rights

French Enlightenment thinkers included Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu. Voltaire fought for tolerance, freedom of religion, and free speech. Rousseau said the only legitimate government was one in which the people chose what was best for the community.

Montesquieu believed that government should be kept under control to protect people’s freedoms. He believed that could best be done through a separation of powers. This meant dividing the government into branches that would include a lawmaking body, an executive branch to carry out the laws, and courts to interpret laws.
 

 1. 

On what continent did the Enlightenment philosophy originate?
a.
Africa
c.
Europe
b.
The Middle East
d.
America
 

 2. 

The Enlightenment was based on
a.
scientific reasoning
c.
political democracy
b.
religious beliefs
d.
Communism
 

 3. 

Why did Thomas Hobbes believe that people should submit to the power of a king?
a.
The king would provide benefits for the people.
c.
Kings got their power from God.
b.
A strong king would provide social order.
d.
A strong king would be democratic
 

 4. 

Where do people get natural rights from?
a.
The king
c.
God or nature
b.
Parliament
d.
The Environmental Protection Agency
 

 5. 

According to John Locke, which is NOT a natural right that you are born with?
a.
right to life
c.
right to an education
b.
right to liberty
d.
right to property
 

 6. 

When did John Locke believe that people had the right to rebel against the government?
a.
When the government did not provide enough social services
c.
When the government failed to protect natural rights
b.
When the government went to war
d.
People never have a right to rebel against their government
 

 7. 

Three of the philosophers below were French Enlightenment thinkers. Which person was not from France?
a.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
c.
Baron de Montesquieu
b.
Thomas Hobbs
d.
Voltaire
 

 8. 

What idea did Baron de Montesquieu have for keeping the government from becoming too powerful?
a.
Hold elections every two years
c.
Eliminate the military so the government would not have the power to persecute the people
b.
Divide the power of the government into three branches.
d.
Give the people free speech
 
 
The Beginning of Democracy in America

Enlightenment ideas had a strong impact on the colonists in Britain’s North American colonies. The colonists helped Britain defeat France in the French and Indian War. The victory gave Britain all of North America east of the Mississippi River. To help pay for the war, the British Parliament placed taxes on the colonists. The colonists opposed these taxes because they were not represented in Parliament. This was just one of a series of measures that the colonists thought violated their rights.

Eventually, the colonists fought for independence in the
American Revolution. They issued a Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. After years of fighting, the British army surrendered in 1781.

In 1787, a group of American leaders met in Philadelphia. They met to set up a new plan for governing the nation. Enlightenment ideas helped shape this plan. The U.S. Constitution included a representative government, as advocated by Rousseau. This is a government in which citizens elect representatives to make laws for them. The Constitution created a federal system. In this system, the powers of government are divided between the federal government and state governments. The Constitution also included a separation of powers between branches in the federal government. This was based on the ideas of Montesquieu.
 

 9. 

Why did Americans oppose the British taxes?
a.
America was not represented in the British Parliament
c.
The Americans did not like the British
b.
The taxes were too high
d.
The American economy was bad
 

 10. 

Which Enlightenment ideas were incorporated into the new American government?
a.
a federal system with power divided between the states and national government
c.
representative government
b.
separation of powers between branches of government
d.
all of these
 
 
The French Revolution

In the late 1780s, there was great unrest in France. The middle class was dissatisfied with Louis XVI’s weak leadership. The Enlightenment raised questions about people’s rights. The economy was failing, and the peasants were hungry and restless.

In 1789 the common people formed the National Assembly. They felt that they were not represented in their government. Soon people from other classes joined them. Peasants in Paris began an uprising to win democratic freedoms. This fight is known as the
French Revolution.

The National Assembly made many reforms. It adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This document guaranteed certain rights to all French people. The Assembly also ended the feudal system and drafted a constitution that made France a limited monarchy.

The work of the Assembly did not last long, however. A radical lawmaking body took charge. During this time, a Reign of Terror took place. Many people who were against the revolution were killed for their beliefs. In 1799, a military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, gained control. He created a dictatorship. Democracy in France did not develop until the mid-1800s.
 

 11. 

Who was the king of France during the French Revolution?
a.
George the 2nd
c.
Louis the 15th
b.
Louis the 16th
d.
Louis the 14th
 

 12. 

What organization did the French people create to give them more representation in the government?
a.
French Assembly
c.
The Star Chamber
b.
An executive branch of government
d.
A strong police department
 

 13. 

What document did the French create to guarantee the rights of the individual?
a.
Declaration of Independence
c.
The Constitution of the government
b.
Declaration of assured religious freedom
d.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
 

 14. 

What was the result of the French Revolution?
a.
A reign of terror with thousands of beheadings
c.
An extreme radical government
b.
A dictatorship udder Napoleon Bonaparte
d.
all of these were results of the French Revolution
 

 15. 

Rousseau believed that the only government that was legitimate came from divine right.
a.
true
b.
false
 

 16. 

Baron de Montesquieu concluded that government could best be kept under control if it were divided into three separate branches.
a.
true
b.
false
 

 17. 

The American colonists resented the taxes assessed against them by the British Parliament
a.
true
b.
false
 

 18. 

Before the present U.S. Constitution was framed, the states were organized according to the Declaration of Independence.
a.
true
b.
false
 

 19. 

In France, the commoners abandoned the Estates General and formed a National Assembly.
a.
true
b.
false
 

 20. 

After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte created a democracy.
a.
true
b.
false
 



 
         Start Over