World History A

Intro

The Scientific Revolution led to the Enlightenment, a major European intellectual movement that applied reason to all human experience. The English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. His fundamental scientific insight, that the physical world operated according to natural laws discovered through scientific investigation, influenced every area of Enlightenment thought.


Looking Ahead to AP Euro...

What will they want you to know next year?

  1. Explain the context in which the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment developed in Europe.
  2. Explain how understanding of the natural world developed and changed during the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment.
  3. Explain the context in which the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment developed in Europe.
  4. Explain the causes and consequences of Enlightenment thought on European society from 1648 to 1815.
  5. Explain the influence of Enlightenment thought on European intellectual development from 1648 to 1815.
  6. Explain how and why the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment challenged the existing European order and understanding of the world.

Readings

Lesson 1: The Scientific Revolution

Causes of the Scientific Revolution Scientific Breakthroughs
 The Ptolemaic System
 Copernicus and Kepler
 Galileo's Discoveries
 Newton's View of the Universe
 Breakthroughs in Medicine and Chemistry
 Women's Contributions
Philosophy and Reason
 Descartes and Rationalism
 Bacon and the Scientific Method

Lesson 2: The Ideas of the Enlightenment

Ideas of the Philosophes
 The Role of Philosophy
 Montesquieu
 Voltaire
 Diderot
New Social Sciences
The Spread of Ideas
 The Social Contract
 Women's Rights
 The Growth of Reading
 Religion in the Enlightenment
Enlightenment and the Arts
 Architecture and Art
 Music

Lesson 3: Enlightened Absolutism and the Balance of Power

Enlightenment and Absolutism
The Seven Years’ War
 The War in Europe
 The War in India
 The War in North America

Lesson 4: The American Revolution

Britain and the American Revolution
 The American Revolution Begins
 Common Sense
 The Declaration of Independence
 Thomas Jefferson
 British Defeat
The Birth of a New Nation
 The Constitution
 The Bill of Rights

Resources


Chapter Introduction
Chapter Reading Guide
Chapter Review Sheet
Chapter Study Guide
Chapter Place and Time –  largesmall
Primary Sources

Lessons in text-only form
  Lesson 21-1
  Lesson 21-2
  Lesson 21-3
  Lesson 21-4