Age of Enlightenment
By
Gessi Hurd

Ms. Geddes
Modern History 112
Sept 15, 2002

The 18th Century could be considered to be the most important period of 
evolution.  America was discovered, lands were fought over, Kings were killed, and new 
ideas were introduced.  This was a period of famous historical events, which change the 
way we even live now.  The 18th century is now know as the age of Enlightenment, it's 
called that because it was a new beginning.  Original thoughts were bringing down old 
traditions. New ideas and new approaches to old institutions were setting the stage for 
great revolutions to come.
	The philosophers were a big thing in that day and age, it was them that did all the 
work, all the thinking.  Without them, our society would run a lot differently.  
Locke was a man of politics, government, and psychology.  He was born 
Wrington, Somerset, on August 29, 1632.  He was the son of a Puritan lawyer who 
defended Cromwell, a General for the Roundheads in the battles against the Cavaliers.  
Locke's father name was also John Locke.  He went to school at Westminister School of 
Oxford and later became a tutor at that university.  He always enjoyed meteorology and 
the experimental science, like chemistry, so he decided to take medicines, and he turned 
out to be one of the most skilled practitioners of his day.  
Locke is remembered today mostly as a political 
philosopher. He preached about how men possess certain rights, the chief being life, 
liberty, and property. His exact words were "And reason...teaches all mankind who will 
but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his 
life, health, liberty or possessions."  His ideas were many and bold, these ideas had a 
tremendous effect on all future political thinking.  
Locke was very interested in psychology.  In 1670, his friends suggested that he 

should write a paper on the limitations of human judgment, he started to write a few 
paragraphs, but twenty years passed before he finally finished it.  The result, however, 
was his great and famous ‘Essay Concerning Human Understanding’.  In this work he 
stressed the theory that the human mind starts as a ‘tabula rasa’ (smoothed tablet).  This 
is a waxed tablet that is prepared for writing.  The mind starts off blank, with no inborn 
ideas, but throughout life it forms its ideas only from impressions that are made on its 
surface.  Locke was a scholar, physician, and man of affairs, well-experienced in business 
and politics.  Locke’s writings are very important in the rise of liberal political 
philosophy. 
	Voltaire.  During his time he was a specialist of many things, he was a playwright, 
storyteller, poet, historian, essayist, philosopher, even a wealthy businessman.  So you 
can see he was a busy man, but he is remembered best as an advocate of human rights.  
He denounced organized religion and believed in fair rights.  Voltaire, was born in Paris 
on the 21st of November 1694, his given birth name was Francois-Marie Arouet.  At the 
age of 16 he became a writer, but he wrote “inappropriate” witty comments of the royal 
authorities. For this he was imprisoned in Bastille for 11 months, during this time he 
started calling himself Voltaire.  In 1934 “Philosophical Letters” was published, an 
important point in the history of thought.  In the letters were denouncing religion and 
government, which was not liked so he fled from Paris.  He then lived in the palace of 
Madame du Chatelet, where he loved until her passing in 1749.  In 1750 Voltaire was 
invited to go to Berlin by Prussia’s Fredrick the Great.  Three years later, after a quarrel 
with the king, he left and moved to Geneva, Switzerland.  After five years his opinions 
took another took another strong move, and he bought an estate in Ferney, France on the 
Swiss border.  By this time he was a celebrity known throughout Europe.  Visitors came 
from everywhere just to see him and discuss his work.  Voltaire decided to move back to 
Paris, on February 10th, 1778, to direct his play “Irene”.  Suddenly his health took a bad 
turn of events and he died on May 30th.  
	Of course during all this time, there was the church, who of course was not 
pleased with what was going on.  They enjoyed being on top with 95% of Europe 
population in 1789 still being catholic and going to church regularly.  At the end of the 
seventeenth century however a ‘Crisis of the European Conscience’ arose.  Write 
Philosophers like Voltaire were Christians but wanted to judge everything that had to do 
with Christianity.  Their writings became anti-Christian war machines.  Science as well 
disassociated itself with the likes of Christianity.  Public doubt was rare because it was 
dangerous to express those feelings openly, but many did it privately.  Many philosophers 
did believe there was a need for religion among the people, but most believed in deism.  
This is when you believe God created the world but after that he left it to fend for itself.  
For Voltaire God was the “Great Watchmaker” in the sky.  Church beliefs were 
contrasted by nature and reason.  He fought against the church’s stand in refusing to 
follow the ways of nature, and that they did not use their “power” to help humanity.  For 
Voltaire the Church and Christianity needed to be obliterated, and man is reason enough 
to run the world.  The church soon became very defensive, and resorted in old, tried and 
true methods of censorship, of certain books, a demand from the state power to intervene, 
and apologetic works, but alas none of these had much success.  

Unhappy with the financial and political instability the three ruling classes 
(estates) of France gathered together one day on May 5, 1789 to form the National 
Constituent Assembly. Here, the clergy and the nobility came together to share their 
objections and desires for reform in the church and on a national level. What resulted was 
the clergy and nobility left all of their privileges. The new regime took its Declaration 
from the inspiration from the doctrines of the Enlightenment philosophers and the 
American Bill of Rights proclaimed in the United States in 1776. Freedom, equality and 
the right of ownership were basic rights. The wealth of the clergy was given to the state 
and became national property. The state took over the support of clergy and the services 
the church provided; i.e., aid to the poor, hospitals, teaching etc... Unfortunately this led 
to the devastation of churches and monasteries and other artistic riches of the church. On 
February 13, 1790 a law was passed that forbade the taking of religious vows and this, 
devastated religious communities.
	Eventually the church took a major downfall and was no longer in charge as it 
once used to be.  Everyone had new rights and new laws, and they seemed to be better 
off, of course if times were different it would be different now and no one can be sure 
whether or not these changes were better.   

Bibliography

•	www.frterry.com
•	http://ragz-international.com/age_of_enlightenment.htm
•	Modern Western Civilization