How Was The American Revolution Affected By The Enlightenment

            The Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress expresses the thirteen American colonies desire to disjoin from Great Britain. Chapter 4 of “After the Fact,” entitled Declaring Independence, presents factual viewpoints of historians as well as thorough examinations aroused from the possible confusions of the renowned document.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, explains to his readers why the colonies chose to abolish Great Britain’s government. His goal is to inform the readers that the government has certain responsibilities to the governed and that the British failed to adhere to its responsibilities to its colonists. His second goal is to justify their actions by explaining why it was not considered treason. By establishing his credibility and appealing to ethos, pathos and logos, Jefferson successfully wrote an informative, impactful, and inspirational document.

The American and French Revolutions were both fundamentally based on the Enlightenment ideas. The main ideas that they followed were by John Locke. His ideas inspired the Americans and the French to have a revolution. In these revolutions, the Americans had success and the French failed. The success that the Americans experienced wad due to the protection of rights they had. These rights are 'Life, Liberty and Property.? In America a constitution was put together that provided for a stable government and also a representative government. In France failure was caused by chaos, terror, fear and war. The French were unsuccessful because they failed to create a democratic

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are two significant documents that transformed the history of the United States. The people of the “New World” went from being ruled by British law and living in the thirteen colonies, to becoming an independent nation with a democratic government. The Declaration was written to ensure that all official ties with its mother country, Great Britain, were suspended indefinitely. It then went on to describe the concepts and ideologies behind a just and fair government. The Constitution, however, outlined how the newly democratic government would operate. In 1776, after the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, a verdict was made that the only constructive way to ensure independence as a nation would be to declare independence from King George III, Parliament, and Great Britain. The colonists sought to fashion a clear, detailed document, known as the Declaration of Independence, which stated why the people chose to move in this direction as well as providing several arguments to support their case. This world-renown document is a symbol of the unity between the 13 colonies during their fight for independence during the American Revolutionary War.

To begin, the main objective of enlightenment was to development the society using reasons, and stimulating the rational though. Enlightenment, also, created a path for independent thought, on the areas of physics, mathematics, politics, economics, and medicine. John Locke made a huge impact on the America colonist by stating the natural rights of life, liberty and property. The most important federal papers were the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In 1776, the Continental congress declared the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is extremely important because Americans were stating that they were able to hold their own grown and did not need any of Great Britain’s laws.

This research paper was written for the Advanced Placement United States History class taught by Mr. Roger Brady. It focuses on the rise of the ideas of the Enlightenment and how these ideas were relevant in the American Revolution, and the creation of the modern American Society. It also provides a throughout explanation of what is the Enlightenment, who are its main exponents, and how the ideas of the Enlightenment spread. Lastly, it also depicts how the colonists were mistreated and mocked by the British Empire before the ideas of the

Two of the major events prior to the American Revolution were the enactment of the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act in 1765. Both were designed to increase British tax revenues. The American colonies could handle these new taxes, however, the colonists began to question question whether Parliament had the right to tax the colonies.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature 's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation (Jefferson). This is the opening paragraph to the Declaration of Independence, which is one of the most easily recognized documents in the United States. In his opening, Thomas Jefferson makes the position of the colonies known; we have had enough and we shall take it from here. This statement, this document started a revolution, a civil war between the British of England, and the American British, who resided in the American Colonies. It has been said that the founding fathers of the United States were paranoid hypocrites and ungrateful malcontents (Gewen). Were the founding fathers truly malcontents or where they justified in their actions? Why did they feel justified in breaking away from England? This essay will review the mindset of the people involved on both sides of the conflict, where those beliefs originated and the events leading up the Declaration of Independence.

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

The Declaration of Independence was titled at the time of its unanimous passing in the continental congress as “The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” (Jefferson 1). Hereafter I will refer to it as the Declaration. All 56 people at the meeting of the continental congress, the day it was voted on, signed the Declaration, which made it unanimous. There are three points that Jefferson made quite clear in the Declaration, which form the soul of the document, and ensured its permanent status as a cultural icon. The three points are “Governments … [derive] their just powers from the consent of the governed”, “All Men Are Created Equal”, and “[men] are endowed … with … rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson 1). These ideas are still quoted on the streets today, some in slightly different forms, but the ideas have stayed true to themselves with a continuous march towards becoming absolutely

Thomas Jefferson, along with the second Continental Congress, used great care to ensure that both the words and the ideas professed in the Declaration of Independence were precise and symbolic. Upon examination of the list of grievances that King George III of England committed against the American colonies, appears the term “our constitution.” The reference to our constitution is not the singular written constitution that contemporary American’s associate with the word; it is much more complex. The Continental Congress’ reference to “our constitution” denotes an assemblage of principles, customs, laws, and precedents blending ideas from classical republicanism, European enlightenment, and protestant Christianity; made of written and understood ideals it reflected America’s understanding that government is

The forming of the United States began on July 4, 1776 when the founding fathers of America declared the United States free and independent from Britain’s rule. This was the day that the “Declaration of Independence”, written by Thomas Jefferson, became known. The founding fathers knew that they were committing treason but risked it to free themselves and others from the tyranny of King George and the apathy from the empire. Jefferson showcases the treatment of the colonists to try and rectify that. Jefferson declares them independent from Britain rule and urges them to call on their own rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

In 1764, passed by the Parliament was The Sugar Act, or The American Revenue Act. This placed especially strong customs and taxation on not only sugar, but wine, coffee, and various other foreign goods that were imported into the colonial territories. Although there was not a substantial uproar as a result of the passing of this particular act, it most definitely added to the later collective aggravation. A highly opposed act was additionally The Stamp Act of 1765, an internalized tax, particularly, which empowered the British by requiring stamps in the colonies to be on printed materials, for example, newspapers, making a will, letters, and various other vital legal documents. Violators were penalized severely. It was essentially “taxation without representation”. Colonists began scrutinizing British Parliament since they were taxed without their assent with The Stamp Act, and so they challenged that to get stamps was simply an act of slavery. This prompted AMERICANS to band together more than ever, as they felt completely unequal and unheard. This emergence of nationalism continued as a progression of additional acts were passed. Numerous Americans saw the tax collection as a misuse of the British's power. The colonists viewed this as beneficial only to Great Britain and a burden on the colonies that were in no way beneficial to the development of the colonies - if anything, it only affected their economy negatively. The British were an adversary at this point. An important highlight that depicts the climax of American patriotism during this period was the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The British response was to establish the disciplinary Coercive acts, to which the Continental Congress filled in as the administration of the 13 American colonies from 1774 to 1789. Formed was a militia that

The major causes that lead up to the American Revolution were lack of American voice in Parliament, harsh taxes, and their own passion to earn freedom from the British government. According to the book The American Revolution, written by David Burg, Britain imposed high tax on American Revolution because they needed money to pay for the French-and-Indian-War. British wanted Americans to financially help them because British believed that they are doing this to protect Americans. British needed lot of money for the war because the war lasted not only for few years but nine years. To gain money from colonists, British proposed the Sugar Act on 1764 and Stamp Act on 1765. British wanted colonists to only buy products from them, not from other countries, which lead them to impose tax on all non-British imported goods through Sugar Act. With Stamp Act, British could earn money through selling the stamp since every public and legal documents must had a British Seal, or Stamp on it. Not only colonists were mad about the three pence tax on imported goods and Stamps, but they were also mad that the acts were enacted without the consent of the colonists. According to the article “The Spark of Rebellion” written by Douglas Brinkley, colonists used the slogan “No Taxation without representation” in a wish to gain a proper representation for their colonies. They believed that Sugar Acts, Stamp Acts and other laws that British enacted to gain money were illegal since there was no proper

During the time that the “Declaration of Independence” was written the 13 Colonies, of what now is the United States of America, were under British control. The colonist thought they had escaped the oppressive king, but where still under his control and were being treated as though they were prisoners. According to the document the colonist were being taxed heavily without representation and were being forced to house soldiers. On top of that, the colonists were only allowed to trade goods with England, who paid little for the goods and charged an immense amount for the products. The document explains and explores the concepts of popular sovereignty, natural rights, and social contracts or the moral obligations that form the society in which people live. All of these concepts point to a common theme of change and a lack of control. The colonist essentially did not have