How Enlightenment ideas shaped the American and French revolutions

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A, John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, chapter II, section 6, Morley's 1884 printing, pp. 193-194: "The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which obliges every one, and reason, which is that law, 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…" Card B, the Declaration of Independence (1776), National Archives transcript: "…that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…" and "…deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…" and, among the grievances, "For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent". Card C, Montesquieu, The Spirit of Laws (1748), Book XI, chapter 6, Nugent's translation, 1900, p. 151: "When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty…" Card D, a summary in our words, written today: Locke's Two Treatises of Government appeared in 1689 without his name, and its introduction was written after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws appeared in 1748. Fighting between colonists and British troops began at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776. The Constitution of 1787 divided power among three branches, and the Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. Historians write that Montesquieu's ideas on separating powers had an enormous impact on the framers of the Constitution.

2. 1.

   Card A is Locke's own text. What is it better evidence for than card D, Ari asks?

   • When Locke's book appeared and whether his name was on it
   • Why fighting began at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775
   • Whether American colonists had read Locke before they declared independence
   • What Locke argued about equality and natural rights
3. 2.

   Card B quotes the Declaration of Independence. What is it better evidence for than card A, Bo asks?

   • What Locke thought about taxes imposed without consent
   • Which thinkers Jefferson had read before he drafted the Declaration
   • How many colonists agreed with the claims in the Declaration
   • What the Declaration itself claimed about rights and consent
4. 3.

   A student writes: 'Card C proves the framers divided power into three branches because of Montesquieu.' What does the evidence allow, Esme asks?

   • It allows the claim if the framers named Montesquieu in the Constitution itself
   • Card C fits the 1787 design, and D adds historians' view of impact, which is a judgment
   • It allows the claim in full, since card C names two powers that must not be united in one body
   • It allows nothing, since Montesquieu wrote in 1748 and the Constitution is from 1787
5. 4.

   Locke lists 'life, health, liberty or possessions.' The Declaration lists 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' What do the lists show, Jun asks?

   • Jefferson copied Locke's list and changed one word, so Locke's influence is shown
   • The lists are different, so Locke had no influence on the Declaration
   • Locke's list was written later and copied from the Declaration
   • Similar rights in a similar order, which fits an influence but does not show one
6. 5.

   What do cards C and D show together about Montesquieu and the Constitution, Kira asks?

   • The Constitution of 1787 came first, and Montesquieu's argument then explained it
   • Montesquieu argued for government by the consent of the governed, as the Declaration does
   • Montesquieu designed the three branches of the Constitution himself
   • A 1748 argument for separating powers and a 1787 design that separates them
7. 6.

   Card B lists 'Taxes on us without our Consent' as a grievance and says governments get powers from the consent of the governed. How are the two lines related, Luz asks?

   • The principle came from the grievance, so the idea of consent came after the taxes
   • The grievance applies the principle of consent to a particular complaint about taxes
   • The grievance contradicts the principle, since taxes are a normal power of any government
   • The two lines are unrelated, since one is a complaint and the other a theory
8. 7.

   A student says the Declaration of 1776 inspired Montesquieu's argument. What do the dates in card D show, Milo asks?

   • Montesquieu's book appeared in 1748, 28 years before the Declaration
   • Montesquieu wrote after the Constitution of 1787, so after the Declaration
   • The dates cannot rule it out, since ideas can travel in both directions
   • Montesquieu's book appeared in 1776, the same year, so the claim is possible
9. 8.

   For the American Revolution, which choice names the trigger and the long-term causes, Noah asks?

   • Lexington and Concord was a long-term cause, since it was the first event listed in card D
   • Locke's book of 1689 was the trigger, since it appeared before the other events
   • The Declaration of July 4, 1776 was the trigger, and the fighting was a long-term cause
   • Taxes and ideas were long-term causes, and Lexington and Concord was the trigger
10. 9.

    Which pair is a long-term cause and an effect of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, Pia asks?

    • Montesquieu's 1748 book is an effect, since it is dated before the fighting
    • The Declaration is a long-term cause, since it lists grievances that came before it
    • Locke's book is a long-term cause, and the Declaration of 1776 is an effect
    • Both are long-term causes, because both are about rights
11. 10.

    Locke's text says no one ought to harm another in 'life, health, liberty or possessions.' Which Declaration words match it most closely, and what differs, Tala asks?

    • 'The consent of the governed' matches 'health' in Locke's list, so the two lists are the same list
    • 'Taxes on us without our Consent' matches 'possessions', so the lists are the same
    • The Declaration lists the same four rights as Locke, in the same order
    • 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness' matches two rights but swaps in happiness