The American Revolution: The Enlightenment Movement

The American Revolution had many more causes than the French Revolution. Both Revolutions were generally caused by taxation without representation; meaning the colonist and the third estate did not have a voice of opinion in these new laws. The stamp act and smuggling passed parliament, and those laws were placed on the colonist. Everything was being taxed; that money paying off the debt of the French and Indian War, also being sent to England. King Louis XVI raised the third estates taxes to pay off the debt of wars and deficit spending. Both the third estates and the colonist didn't have a say in the new laws or work they were now having to follow. The French and the Americans had a rebellion that lead them into the revolution. The colonist had the Boston tea party where the colonist dressed as Native Americans to board ship that help the highly

The American Revolution, from 1765 to 1783, was a great movement and major changing point for the colonists. The colonists were fed up with all the taxes and unnecessary mistreatment that had been placed on them. The colonists finally had revolted against the British and surprisingly had taken the victory. The colonists were considered underdogs against the very powerful Britain and with much devotion and heart, the colonists pulled out a victory. Taking the victory was a huge turning point because now the colonists were free from British power and were able to form a nation of their own. The wealthy had lots of power and it affected the society a lot. America had created a new government and society, but it led to many problems and protests.

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 American Revolution started when Britain started to tax the colonists without their consent. The stamp acts started a chain reaction of discontent. The colonists realized they were being treated unfairly and unequal to the citizens in Britain. Around this time when the Americans were facing discontent, many Enlightenment ideas were spreading. The colonists took many ideas like John Locke’s into mind when they planned their revolts. They were fighting for natural rights of

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.

Much like the French Revolution, the American Revolution was brought upon by the people who wanted a change. Growing numbers of immigrants added to the population in the lower and middle classes in the country, making overcrowding and poor conditions. As cities started to grow, the government- located across the ocean- decided to try and make changes, including larger taxes. The people in America did not like the idea of being ruled over by people so far away, so they began their search for new forms of authority. The people looked for independence, and their search led them to a war and the Revolution. As the country became free and independent, more and more changes were made. The Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Bill of Rights was issued. While it was largely political that change came from the American Revolution, it was America's people created, fought, and won the American Revolution, leading to a better life for them all.

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.

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

The American Revolution was precipitated by the irritation of the wealthy due to tax acts imposed by Britain on the colonies. The rich did not like the taxes because of the negative effect the tax acts had on personal financial interests, but the Colonial masses were convinced by men like John Dickinson and Patrick Henry; Dickinson wrote extensively on how the British collection of taxes on the Colonies was illegal and Henry believed taxation shouldn’t be allowed unless the Colonies were properly represented. The writings of John Locke were also influential in creating interest for breaking away from Great Britain.

The ideas of the Enlightenment inspired both the American and French Revolution. The Revolution was based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Philosophers of the Enlightenment, known as philosophes, favored limited monarchy, freedom of speech, and equality. The Enlightenment was based on the ideas of John Locke who said that all men are born with natural rights of life, liberty, and property. He believed that human nature was basically good and that in a state of nature, without any government, people would be reasonable and cooperative and could both learn from their experiences and improve themselves. France’s government and society on the eve of the Revolution went against everything the Enlightenment philosophers favored.

The American Revolution was a political and a social mutiny among the colonists against the authority of Great Britain. Rejecting Britain’s monarchy, the colonists endeavored change in their favor that would allow them to govern themselves freely and fairly. The founding fathers in America sought a constitution that unified the colonies under one governing body. The Constitution, organized by James Madison, gave rights and freedoms to the colonists that they had previously not seen before under British rule. The Declaration of Independence that initiated the Revolutionary War, demanded autonomy for the American people against the British, and freedom became a driving force behind the revolution as a whole. Although history claims that the revolution

The American Revolution was the rebellion of British colonists against England, however, the cost of liberty may very well have been far too high due to the economic crisis which ensued and the inadequacy of the newly formed government, although the freedom to worship as they pleased was gained yet not everyone even benefited from the Revolution. It was an enormous win for the American revolutionaries, as were the budding ideas of liberty and equality for all which would be the catalysts later on for many other movements regarding freedom, including the Civil Rights movement and the Women 's Rights movement. The British did not grant the colonists

The American Revolution is the reason we have a free nation today and have the right to vote and other luxuries we take for granted today. The Americans Revolution tore families apart from people not wanting to leave Britain and others wanting their independence. The flame that started it all was the British rising tax for tea in America. According to the World History book “In 765, the Parliament imposed the Stamp Act on the colonies.The act required that certain printed materials, such as legal documents and newspapers,carrying a stamp showing that a tax had been paid to Britain. (Spielvogel,p.321) Since there many fights because of the Stamp Act that they repealed it but even though they did the Stamp Act just started a chain reaction

Enlightenment in Europe was a period in which ideas were legitimately from one country to another. It is also known as civilization time where traditional authority was put to the question while embracing the notion of humanity to improve human change. The French revolution was directly in motivation by Enlightenment ideals which marked a peak of its influence and a beginning of its fall. The Enlightenment 's imperative of the seventeenth-century forerunners incorporated the Englishmen Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, the Frenchman Renee Descartes and the important characteristic logicians of the Scientific Revolution, including Galileo, Kepler, and Leibniz. The civilization called for changes in different parts of Europe and America than