Chose ONE (1) of the questions below and write a full essay answering it (3-5 pages).
a) The Scientific Revolution altered the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, as well as the shape of the universe itself. In a well-developed essay describe the beliefs about astronomy and our place in the universe before the Scientific Revolution (Ancient Greek philosophy, Ptolemaic astronomy, Religious dogma) and then show how the Scientific Revolution changed these ideas. Be sure to mention the important names of scientists and discoverers and tell us about their discoveries and how they contributed to the Scientific Revolution in general.
b) Be creative! Write a dialogue between two colonists in the British colonies at the time of the American Revolution. Go into their backgrounds as deeply or shallowly as you want (you create them) and have them discuss whether to join the Rebellion against Britain, with one taking a pro and the other a con position give arguments for both, utilizing your knowledge of historical events and Enlightenment theories as presented by our discussions and the sources youve read or watched.
c) How did the Enlightenment affect both religion and society? How did the Philosophe version of God and the Universe differ from tradition? How did the Enlightenment affect women? Politics? What changes did the works of John Locke and Montesquieu bring to traditional theories of government?
d) Was Napoleon Bonaparte the savior or the destroyer of the French Revolution? In other words, did Napoleons rule support the social and political goals of the revolution or bury them?
e) Why did England industrialize first? In your answer you might consider the necessary conditions for industrialization as well as the peculiar English conditions that made it rife for industrialization as opposed to the rest of Europe.
f) How did industrialization change society? How were traditional family structures and gender roles affected by the progress of industry? What new classes and political movements emerge out of the Industrial Revolution?
