DBQ 6: Enlightenment Thinkers and Their Impact on European Rulers The Age of Enlightenment was a time where cultural and intellectual ideas from Western Europe brought reason, analysis, and individualism to the rest of Europe and replaced former traditional authority. The Age of Enlightenment was most frequently known as the Age of Reason because it reformed society from the authority of the church to a society of science and skepticism. The Enlightenment philosophy was promoted by local enlightenment thinkers that stressed liberty, freedom from the church’s authority, and worked to abolish serfdom. A number of the Enlightenment philosophers influenced society by publishing texts. New ideas and beliefs spread through Europe and worldwide and marked a change from only having religious texts to also providing intellectual texts.
The slave trade was also introduced. Similar events also happened in India as Europeans began invading their region and forced the Indians to do labor. The labor systems were changed mainly because the Europeans believed they were superior to the Native Americans and treated them like slaves (although they were never referred as slaves). One of the few things that remained the same was tribute as taxes were still imposed on people on the lower half of the social hierarchy. In the Incan empire, they also used the Mita system so that the citizens can pay tax through labor.
Between 1492 and 1750, Europe was in the process of becoming more centralized, as their monarchy became stronger. Voyages to the new world began to take place and have an impact upon European society. However, these expeditions did not impact the Native Americans very well since they were enslaved and forced to give up their territory. However, these new expeditions took place in other places than America as well. Voyages were sent along the West African coast and helped make a stronger economy for Europe due to more trading opportunities with Africa.
1. Describe these two judicial philosophies. Judicial Activism is when judges/courts do not strictly stick to the interpretation of a law, but create a new one. Easily explained, when an issue is being ruled upon, courts establish a new law to rule broadly on the issue rather than limit their verdict. A lot of magistrates go beyond the constitution and statutes words and use their own political and personal thoughts.
Cooper aims to explain how beyond slavery, freedom meant something different than it does today. He focuses on emancipation and imperialism in British East Africa and French West Africa. In post emancipation Africa, life for colored people was hardly “free.” Instead, former slaves were often pressured into various forms of coerced and forced labor. However, many former slaves tried to resist being forced into the free labor market. Finally in 1946, the abolition of forced labor took place in French West Africa, including the declaration that all white and colored workers must be treated as French Citizens.
The messages sent from the famous jumps of Sam Patch were the beginning of a new of democracy, and a fulfillment to the true meaning of the word equality. In the early 1800s there was already a change being made to American politics. Soon after the war of 1812 it was made a point to put some restrictions on presidency because the president had too much power (Pettengill). Distributing the power evenly amongst the other branches of government paved the way to a more independent American government, and created early ideas of a two party system. These early ideas made it possible for the different views of the rich and working class to have their own set representation as needed when capitalism, or free market enterprise, and common wealth made its way into American economy.
On the contrary, according to the Justinian code, the result of murder is only banishment. The Justinian code definitely changed the laws to reflect the period of time, in an attempt to modernize the Roman law. When the Justinian code was being established, the idea of slavery was gradually being transformed, thus enabling it to create a noble class, priest class, and a peasant class. It was apparent that only some societies deprived slaves of their human rights, but overall, the people recognized that slaves or peasants were human as well, and their status was quite evident amongst the others. Some of the slaves were granted the right to own property, protection for the women and their children, as well as, the right to education.
Compare and contrast Japanese and European feudalism in terms of economic, cultural, and social features. Japanese and European feudalism had many similarity and difference, in economic both of them were based on manor system and the manor would be inherited by the eldest son. In cultural feature the Japanese feudalism was based on the Confucianism while the European feudalism was based on the roman imperial law. In the society, the warrior class became more important. In economic, both of the Japanese and European feudalism were based on manor system and the manor would be inherited by the eldest son, the land lord and vassal organized their land and fief to a well-function manor.
Colonial America, settled by Western Europeans, initially displayed social and cultural characteristics similar to the group by which it was founded. As America grew, population density increased, government was established, and a notion of ‘civilization’ was embedded into the American mindset. The previous influences, in combination with other factors, such as America’s distance from Europe, helped the United States wage and win the Revolutionary war. The US, gaining it’s Independence, inevitably was to evolve it’s own unique cultural traits. Early America portrayed the wild frontier as part of their national identity, while common colonial American ideology stigmatized the associated Native American culture as less civilized, as savage, and as subordinate to ‘modern’ eighteenth and nineteenth century societies.
The changes and continuities that resulted from the implementation of Enlightment ideas between 1700 and 1820 in North America and Europe were that there was a change in government in both locations due to uprising ideas of revolts. In addition, Europe experienced technological advancements, and improvements in the economy from events experienced after the affects of Enlightenment. The continuities in North America and Europe were the practice of the same religion and social class system. Because of people like Rousseau, Diderot and Voltaire the ideas of revolutions were made. Rousseau began to question the ideas of the divine right of kings.