Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Enlightenment Thinkers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine lives, philosophies, and political beliefs of four Enlightenment Thinkers: Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Students then work with partner to write short speech from...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Unit 12: Enlightenment and French Revolution

For Students 8th - 12th
In this Enlightenment lesson, students respond to 34 short answer questions about John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Denis Diderot, and Mary Wollstonecraft.
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Enlightenment Ideas and the Founding Fathers

For Students 7th - 8th
A tutorial that looks at the ideas from the Enlightenment that influenced the Founding Fathers, particularly those of John Locke and Montesquieu. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
Article
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: "The Spirit of Laws" (Excerpts) (1748)

For Students 9th - 10th
Fordham University provides excerpts from the 1748 book of political philosophy by Montesquieu; "The Spirit of Laws".
Handout
Oregon State University

Oregon State University: Montesquieu Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a timeline of the significant events in the life of Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, author of "The Spirits of the Laws." There are also links to a bibliography.
Primary
McMaster University

Mc Master University: Charles De Secondat Montesquieu

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the McMaster University provides a full French edition of De l'Espirit des lois of Charles de Secondat Montesquieu, provided by Paulette Taieb. The information is accessible by clicking on the corresponding link.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Montesquieu Mini Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Meet the Baron de Montesquieu, one of the great thinkers of the 18th century. He spent a lot of time thinking about how governments should be created and maintained. These ideas guided the Founding Fathers when they wrote the...