Effects Of The Enlightenment On Modern America

Both the Enlightenment and the Great awakening caused the colonists to alter their views about government, the role of government, as well as society at large which ultimately and collectively helped to motivate the colonists to revolt against England. The Enlightenment was vital in almost every part of the founding of America, which included everything from government, to politics itself, as well as religion. Many of the ideas from the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening shaped our country as a whole in its seminal years, inspiring everything from the American Revolution, to the Constitution, and even electricity and stoves. Without the central ideas and figures of both the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment era, the United States

the claim to the Crown, and he believed that individuals held the right to revolt against a

The Enlightenment was the root of many of the ideas of the American Revolution. It was a movement that focused mostly on freedom of speech, equality, freedom of press, and religious tolerance. The American Revolution was the time period where America tried to gain its independence from England. They got influenced very much from many philosophers. That will be discussed throughout the essay. The Enlightenment ideas were the main influences for American Colonies to become their own nation.

The ideas of the Enlightenment are currently shown directly in our modern day society. The Enlightenment was a european movement in the late 17th century emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. It allowed people more freedom and more opportunities. It affected today's way of living through politics because it questioned the idea of people of a community governing their community. Religion was also affected because it sought reasonable faith that many could follow and had reason. The Enlightenment did not only have an impact on politics and religion but also on economics because it denounced slavery and slave trade as well as lessened the government's control over the market. The Enlightenment has continued to be influential throughout modern times in many ways but is most present through politics, religion and economics.

Few educators in history have made such a profound effect on the shape and molding of the future as John Locke. His approach on education and use of the science to prove his ideals not only shaped the ideals of the Enlightenment but European and American life itself (Trish, 2009). Locke disagreed with the relevance of ancient Greek philosophies in modern education and supported

England created its own failure. When Great Britain’s conquerors came to America, they tried to educate Americans under their religious beliefs. According to English, spreading their religious beliefs among the settlers was the only way to control and manipulate colonists. Years later, a few of the wealthiest Americans had the opportunity to go to Europe to have a schooling education while the rest of the population had to stay in their homeland following biblical studies. Without thinking that education could be the clue to liberate American colonies; the process of literacy continued for several years. Americans with foreign education brought European’s Enlightenments; then, those ideas were distributed among the people creating several consequences such the Common Sense pamphlet and the beginning of the Declaration of the Independence. Therefore, the Enlightenment era was the period where most of the illiterate people disappeared in America.

During the Enlightenment many changes were happening. There were breakthroughs in all sciences not just medicine. Old ideas and theories were replaced with more modern ways. New medicines were developed and new treatments were tested. Some of the discoveries are still in use today with more modern machinery and diagnostic tools. This was an exciting age for all sciences.

Between 1620 and 1776 Puritanism and The Enlightenment both had large influences on the development of the American colonies. Puritanism was one of the earliest influences of the American colonies, the prosecution of puritans in Europe led puritans to flee to America and impose their beliefs. The Enlightenment however had a great influence on the American colonies by laying the philosophical foundation the Government would build on. In turn both philosophies had significant impacts in different ways to the United States.

The Enlightenment of the 1600s and 1700s was a time of lasting change. Philosophers emphasized the use of human reason, natural laws were introduced, and perhaps most importantly – people began to turn away from absolutism and divine right and towards democracy. These ideas would end up having a monumental impact on the future revolutionary leaders in America. Enlightenment thinkers like Thomas Reid and Francis Hutchison had a direct and obvious influence on Thomas Jefferson, the author of our Constitution. Along with the Enlightenment, the Glorious Revolution, English Civil War, and their thinkers were key influences on the American Revolution that helped determine many important features of America then and now.

The greatest aspect of Martin Luther’s legacy was his reformation of the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, the Church played an essential part in society and had more power than the state, unlike today. Reforming the Church would have been a

The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the American Revolution and the formation of the American Government in several different ways. The Enlightenment period initiated several new ideas about freedoms and rights. These ideas were discussed in meetings called salons in France, where they discussed new ideas. There were many influential philosophers from the enlightenment periods, Thomas Hobbes, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Voltaire, John Locke, and Rousseau. Thomas Hobbes believed that all people were naturally selfish and needed a strong government like an absolute monarchy to remain in control. Montesquieu supported the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances in government. Adam Smith believed that governments

“Luther was in constant battles, largely unsuccessful, to control the forces both theological and cultural that he had unleashed. He argued not just against the pope’s hard-liners but against the Pope’s hard-liners as Erasmus who wanted to hold the church together” (Hillyer, 1). Martin Luther purpose for his 95 Theses was just to revolt against the Roman Catholic.

The Enlightenment was a time of thinking, recalculating, and coming up with new ideas to replace the old and evolving from medieval ways. During the Enlightenment, people questioning everything including whether or not the church should have all the power and if their religion was correct. Martin Luther came up with several ideas about how the Catholic Church was wrong and eventually made up with his own religion called Protestantism. The ideas of the Enlightenment lead to many revolutions including the peasants’ revolts in the German States. The peasants’ revolts in German states, during the early 1500s, resulted in both positive and negative effects.

The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century finalized the movement toward contemporaneousness that began with the writers and philosophers of the Renaissance age. The scholars and writers, or philosophes as they were called, of the Enlightenment Age seized these teachings and ideologies and used them to criticize and attack the medieval ruling establishment and to unseat the religious ruling class from their vaulted theological perch. This criticism of the theological sect loosened religions grip on science and allowed for the expansion of reason. Science would no longer be hindered by the authority of papal influence and power, but would operate independently on its own merit and by its own designs. Anyone would then be free to think,

The scope of the church was considered phenomenal. During the Renaissance period, the role of the priests were unquestioned until Luther questioned the structure. Before, it was the Kings that had control of everything in the village, but now in the happening of the Reformation, the Pope claimed authority over all the Kings. Also during this time of era, Luther then decided to study law which lead him into being a monk. After this, he went to Rome and focused on the corruption of Roman Civilization. At the later, he became obsessed with sin in which a statement by him said “The just will live through Faith” not any other action that we can