Andrew Palmer

Period 2
June 20, 2016

The Enlightenment
Throughout history, many citizens have fallen victim to their own governments laws and have
had their laws stripped away from them . The enlightenment was the greatest turning point in world
history because it caused many people to start thinking for themselves and about their rights and also
helping push people to amend their government to their appeals.
The people in the eighteenth century did not think about their rights as often leading them to be
mistreated and have most of their citizen rights stripped away from them. Then enlightenment movement
helped these people start to understand and question these laws and eventually amended the laws that did
not protect their civil rights. The enlightenment movement would never be possible without the thinkers,
some of the biggest thinkers are; Socrates, Aristotle, Plato. One way the people started to think was from
the socratic method. This method was used by Socrates and his goal was to make people think by
questioning them. This method was one of the most important because without it many people would not
start changing their governments.
These enlightenment movements change the course of history drastically by helping people think
and question their rights.

People rethinking and questioning the government laws to their rights

changed the course of history by pushing them towards amend their governments changing their country
and ultimately changing history. The socratic method was also used to question people about how their
government protects their rights changing the way they made laws. A demonstration of this comes from
the Declaration of Independence when it states, That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that

Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all
experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and
usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for
their future security.(Dec. Of Independence). This shows how the enlightenment ideas are still used to
this day and change the course of history through its uses today.
In conclusion, Without the enlightenment thinkers questioning people about their government's
rules and laws, the people would never have changed their governments and still probably have terrible
policies today. Without these ideals the course of history would also be very different for an example if
the idea that a government can be overthrown if it fails to protect rights. Without this the government
today would most likely still not protect our laws as they do today.

Works cited :
http://onegoodmove.org/forum/2010/04/the-second-amendment-and-the-overthrow-of-government.html