on of the new world. The discoveries and travel further challenged church authority. An example of this is the well founded "scientific" fact that the earth was flat. After such journeys by Columbus and Magellan, the concept of church's monopoly on truth was attacked once again. The third period in history starts with the age of reason. Its intellectual basis of the time period is science and natural law. Empiricism plays a fundamental role in church legitimacy. Factual concrete proof of God and his work is not provided by science. States begin to mature politically as colonial powers. The Church or rather the concept of religion is still strong but begins a transformation during the Enlightenment. From Religion ideas of morality and natural law arise. Locke addresses the role of the government of a state. He portrays the ideas of a social contract between the people and its government. He continued by pointing out that the government has a commitment with the people it must with hold. Locke's writings also contained concepts concerning of natural rights which are inherent to human beings. This developed and identified that power now comes from the people. These people from which the government is derived and power (legitimacy) have rights and will be safe-guarded by the people. The French and American Revolutions harnessed the ideas which the enlightenment wrote and discussed. The French Revolution exemplified the early stages of nationalism. Nationalism derives from a grouping of people who share common cultural and social experiences. *From nationalism the concept of self-determination is derived. Phrases like," We the People. . ." began to show up in constitutions and declarations, which showed consensus among people with like-minded purposes. The inception of positive law was the last and final blow to the concept of religion. Positive law is fashioned and codified by man. The law has replaced the concept of morality. The framework...
