Standard 5: Analyze the causes, events, and effects of the Enlightenment and its impact on the American, French and other Revolutions.

Students will analyze the first 10 amendments of the Constitution and note the influence of Enlightenment philosophers and the importance of them in government and our daily lives. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will look at excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, the Social Contract, and the Second Treatise of Government to analyze the Enlightenment's influence on the American Revolution. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in a reading and writing activity.  They will mark up the text of the Declaration of Independence, making sure to indicate any passages which demonstrate the ideas indicative of the influence of the Enlightenment thinkers.

The teacher will pass out the grievances portion of the Declaration of Independence and have the students highlight, in different colors, the passages they think are from the Enlightenment thinkers. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze excerpts from the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and Common Sense. 

The main purpose of this lesson is to have students gain an understanding of the important documents that led to the American Revolution.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will draw a connection between the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the French Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.

This lesson includes guided notes for students to complete during the lesson, built in review questions, and a guided practice for students to complete that contains primary source text from the documents.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the Declaration of the Rights of Man to identify examples of Enlightenment ideals and civic participation.

This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the Haitian Declaration of Independence for Enlightenment influence and civic participation.

This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

Type: Lesson Plan

This will include specific Enlightenment thinkers with an emphasis on the ideals that influenced the Declaration of Independence and both the American Revolution.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the Declaration of Independence to identify examples of Enlightenment ideals and civic participation.

This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review the key ideas of several Enlightenment thinkers and explore their influence on Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will be used to introduce or review the Declaration of Independence, a founding document of America. This lesson will familiarize students with one of the Founders, Thomas Jefferson, and his influence on the American government by incorporating ideas from the European Enlightenment era. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will become familiar with important Enlightenment philosphers, their ideas, and how they influenced the creation of the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will compare and contrast Enlightenment philosophers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes to Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will be able to identify philosophies of the Enlightenment era in the foundation of the American government.  They will create a booklet to take notes on Enlightenment philosophers and their ideas. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine how intellectual influences contributed to the ideas in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution by analyzing the major ideas of Enlightenment philosophers.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze documents from major Enlightenment thinkers. Students will compare and contrast the Declaration of Independence to the Declaration of Rights of Man to evaluate the impact of the Enlightenment influenced both the American and French Revolutions. Students will use documents to make an argument about whether the Enlightenment was the strongest influence of the Revolutions.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students review the major ideas of Enlightenment philosophers to evaluate their impact on the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will learn to evaluate how ideas from the past influenced the political thinking of the Framers when writing both the Declaration of Independence and in reforming the country under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and identify an Enlightenment ideal that justified the grievance.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will expose students to a collection of primary and secondary sources from the French Revolution and as a culminating assignment, students will draft an expository essay linking the documents to the causes and events of the French Revolution.

Type: Lesson Plan

Francisco Márquez was born in Venezuela and spent his childhood in both Venezuela and the U.S. He studied political science and law in Venezuela and earned his MBA in the United States. After receiving his MBA, Francisco returned to Venezuela. Under the authoritarian Nicolás Maduro regime, Francisco was arrested as a political prisoner and spent time in a Venezuelan prison. Eventually, Francisco was released and is now a political rights activist.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation