Enlightenment
High School
Definition
An 18th-century intellectual movement that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and absolute authority. Enlightenment ideas about liberty and government inspired revolutions in America and France and shaped modern democracy.
Worked examples
John Locke argued that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and governments exist by the consent of the governed.
Locke's ideas exemplify Enlightenment emphasis on reason and individual rights over divine-right monarchy.
Montesquieu proposed separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.
This Enlightenment principle of checks and balances directly shaped the U.S. Constitution.
Common mistakes
- The Enlightenment happened in the 1600s during the Renaissance. → The Enlightenment was an 18th-century movement, after the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. The Enlightenment built on earlier ideas but peaked in the 1700s, leading to the American and French Revolutions.
- Enlightenment thinkers wanted to return to traditional religious authority. → Enlightenment thinkers challenged tradition and absolute authority, emphasizing reason and science. The movement questioned inherited power and dogma, promoting individual liberty and rational inquiry instead.
- The Enlightenment only affected philosophy and had no political impact. → Enlightenment ideas directly inspired the American and French Revolutions and modern democracy. Concepts like popular sovereignty, natural rights, and separation of powers reshaped governments worldwide.
Where you'll use it next
You'll apply Enlightenment principles when studying the American Revolution, French Revolution, the U.S. Constitution, and the development of democratic governments and human rights movements around the world.
See also
Social Contract TheoryDemocracyRights and FreedomsRenaissance and ReformationPolitical IdeologiesRule of Law
Reviewed by Pat Cheng, M.Ed. — StudyPug Curriculum Lead · Last updated June 6, 2026