Enlightenment And The Enlightenment Movement

During the period in English colonial history where the frameworks for democratic societies were forming, specifically the years between 1607 and 1765, two events had massive influence over said development: the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. The Enlightenment gave way to the kinds of rationale that would later spark the American Revolution and the Great Awakening would give the inspire American citizens to question their authorities and how fit they were to rule.

The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment were two historical events that shaped the thoughts of people and religion in America. The most important factor in both of these events is the common theme of reason behind the movements. The Great Awakening began about the 1930's and reached its climax ten years later in 1740. What exactly was the Great Awakening? It was a wave of religion revivals sweeping through New England that increased conversions and church membership. The beginnings of the Great Awakening were in Pennsylvania and New Jersey among Presbyterians and then spread to the Puritans and Baptists of New England. They were encouraged to confess sins done freely to the church in order to receive forgiveness. This whole movement was

The ideas of Enlightenment philosophers rippled throughout the globe, however, they seemed to have the most interesting effect on France. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a major contributor to Frances political and social structure post-French revolution. These ideas weren’t the only triggers for the French Revolution. A combination of strangling taxes, economic disparity, and an impotent ruler led to the development of an intense need for reform in France. “France spent an enormous amount of money during the American war which put them on the verge of bankruptcy” (McKay et al., pg. 662). To make up for this immense national debt, taxes were raised which put more pressure on the already struggling working class in France. The privileged classes

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 Enlightenment period was an extremely impactful revolution which caused changes in societies around the world. It began in 1651, people across the country took a stand against their unfair rights. In order to have a peaceful society, everyone must be treated with equality which can only occur if there is a fair government system in place. If people have to fight and kill to have their natural rights granted, something has to be done about it. The enlightenment period encouraged the people to share their ideas when before they felt they had no say. When the people come together to fight for something they believe in many good and bad outcomes can take place. This time period led to many changes that have drastic effects on history. As people joined multiple documents were created showing the impact of this time period. A couple of these influential documents was the English Bill of Rights, U.S constitution, and the Haitian Constitution.

The Enlightenment is said to have begun in the 1680’s, the same decade that the “Glorious Revolution” occurred, which crowned daughter of James II Mary and her husband Prince William of Orange Monarchs of England. This turning point in English history can be considered part of the Enlightenment due to the switch from an Absolute Monarchy to a Constitutional Monarchy and the passing of the English Bill of Rights in 1689 after William’s ascension to the throne.

The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment both profoundly impacted the American Revolution. Both ideas brought about a better understanding of the role of government in governing its people, the function of religion in the State, and a more general keener awareness of the rights of man. However, overall, the Enlightenment played the most pivotal role in bringing the American Revolution to fruition.

During the late 17th-18th century Enlightenment, people began to question the norms that had previously blindly accepted. Philosophes emerged, trying to find new ways to understand and improve their society. Using observation and reason, these philosophes uncovered natural laws of existence - patterns in nature and human behavior that could be used to understand the truth of all things and could improve human activities. All four of the Enlightenment philosophers emphasized people’s personal freedom in choosing their own political, religious, economic, and societal alignments, as long as in attaining their natural rights, people didn’t infringe on others’, because in doing so, they will benefit the whole society.

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement during the 17th and 18th century when the philosophers and scientists started examining the world through human intellect and reason. It is a new way of thinking which allowed human improvement. Generally, the enlightenment thinkers thought without prejudice. This cultural movement led to many new developments, ideas, and inventions in science, art, politics and philosophy. Reason guides human affairs. Science over religion, belief in freedom, liberty, and progress that it will get better. The new attitudes are optimistic, seek practical improvement, and it focused more on liberty. The Enlightenment affected the way people understood the role of government. It changed they way they think about

Political leaders in the colonies lost power when their institutions of local government were abolished or absorbed under the government of the Dominion. In general, colonists felt that the new political system, which centered on a royal governor rather than colonial assemblies and town meetings, took away their rights and represented political tyranny.

The French Revolution had many contributions to its cause. One of these many causes was financial crisis and economic conflicts. There was an injustice in the amount each person must pay (document 1). The people of nobility were taxed very little and the commoners were taxed heavily. Also, the poor people were extremely poor.

Americans in the Enlightenment period strongly connected themselves with the classical age in terms of how they approached their art. The Enlightenment period lasted for about 150 years, from approximately 1700 -1850. Throughout this time period many artists took inspiration from the classical age which occurred in ancient Greece and Rome hundreds of years before. We can see examples of this in buildings like The White house and Monticello in America, and Kedleston Hall in England. These three buildings, though located in very different parts of the world, all have a number of aestheticly similar attributes.

During the eighteenth century there was one central political cause for the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was a weak ruler who endured a lavish lifestyle. He disregarded the people’s needs, leaving much of the French population in discontent. Prior to the revolution the form of government was Absolute monarchy led by Louis XVI. The problem with absolute monarchy was that people were denied basic rights, and a say in government because the divine right theory was abused. The King ruled by the divine right of theory which

Knowledge is a power that we as humans have achieve throughout history. With presenting new perspectives and challenging beliefs, we have made this far. Although like many other things, knowledge and challenging perspectives had to start from somewhere. By looking at Voltaire, who was a famous French philosopher in the early European colonization, we can explore his beliefs through one of his pieces in order to further understand the Enlightenment movement.