The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas Essay

     The age of enlightenment took place in the 18th century and was thought by many of the period to be long overdue. Spurred by writers wishing to “awaken” the public from their stupor, it was an age of change. Enlightenment writers tackled subjects from inconsistencies in religion to the oppression of women in society. Utilized during the time were many aspects of writing. Inducing a feeling of fear or guilt within a reader and the use of satire was often combined to leave an impression on a reader. Most

The Enlightenment influenced the American Revolution with many ideas and concepts. Enlightenment philosophers believed in different structures of living such as natural rights, freedom from oppression, and innovative ways. Modern day America is ifluenced by liberty, equality and justice. Ideas from the Enlightment can be found in important documents from the revolution and passed it.

During the Enlightenment, revolutionary thinkers called philosophes brought about new ideas as to how to better understand and improve their society. They were all modern thinkers and had the best interests of society in mind. Although each philosoph had his or her own ideas, they all centered around one main theme: equality and human freedom.

     Several of the most distinguished leaders of the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Paine, were very much influenced by the English; and, to a lesser extent the French Enlightenment. Jefferson and Franklin both spent time in France, absorbing the influence of the French Enlightenment. The language of natural law, inherent freedoms, and self-determination which was so deeply rooted in American tradition (what there was of a tradition) was the language of the Enlightenment; however, there was still a little of some other or “traditional” religions involved, which has been called our “civil religion”.

During the Age of Enlightenment there were many philosophers that thought differently when it came to humans and their actions. This all started back in the 17th and 18th century in Europe. One day all the thinkers came together to talk about their different ideas at an enlightenment party. Philosophers with different backgrounds and ideologies were able to unite and discussed the world and mankind. Although all of them had different beliefs, there was one idea that everyone had in common.The main idea shared by these enlightenment thinkers was that individual freedom could improve different aspects of society. John Locke believed individual freedom could improve freedom in government, Voltaire believed individual freedom

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.

Occurring after the Enlightenment, its ideas allowed the people to recognize unfair taxation and advocate for their Natural Rights prove that the French and American Revolution are more similar than different. In America, John Locke, an enlightenment thinker, heavily influenced the founding fathers of America. For example, the first line of the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men

The enlightenment lead by great minds including but not limited to Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu. These men helped build and popularize the theory of social contracts, limited government, the consent of the governed, and separation of powers. John Locke’s writing sparked the concept of a republican philosophy that put the tyrants of the time in the spotlight for questioning. Republicanism is based on the ideals that all men are created equal and no king has divine right to rule. These innovative ideas pushed a third of the colonists to support the rebellion and a third of the population to stay neutral.

They would meet in Salons, living rooms of wealthy women, where they gathered to have discussions. The women were very educated and savvy in that they would invite the right people to help set the topic of discussion and keep the conversation active throughout the entire meeting. Thus, the Enlightenment affected the American and French Revolutions in that during these people sought to change in their own individual societies. They quested absolutism of the monarchy based on tradition, and they believed that people were created equal and should have the government officials be the best qualified based on experience and education rather than by birth rite. An English political philosopher, John Locke, rejected the Divine Right in which monarchs were divinely chosen.

Politically and economically, the Enlightenment gave birth to as wide a range of ideologies as it did religiously. The philosophical emphasis on the potential of man led to a spectacular amount of new thinking in the areas of liberty, natural rights, and the structure of government. Although the particular course that political thought took during this time varied between nations,

First, modern ideas started to spread as Enlightenment authors like John Locke or Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote about strange, new concepts and different governmental systems. This great movement was later called the Enlightenment and these ideas would inspire the framework for the American Constitution and the fundamentals for the French Revolution. While contemporary ideas were a large issue, the largest problem that both the French and Americans faced were cruel forms of social injustice. Neither group was properly represented in their government and were heavily taxed. These issues tied with the hatred against rulers eventually led to monumental revolutions against their government and decisive moments in history (Top Ten Revolutions Felt Around the World). As they were oppressed, these people took action into their own hands. They revolted for justifiable reasons, fighting for their right to live in happiness and to live under a government that cared for their

The Enlightenment era, which spanned the end of the seventeenth century through the beginning of the nineteenth, was characterized by the idea that everything in the universe could be discovered and understood in a rational way. Enlightenment thinkers also began to reconsider and challenge the church by thinking of religion as congruent with science and logic. Mid-nineteenth century Europe started to transition away from this culture of intellectual prosperity. As political and social focus drifted toward industrial development, the divide between high culture and the middle class became more distinct. These societal changes affected attitudes about morality, culture, the arts, and science. For example, the discussion about evolution and creation

1. The intellectual movement of Enlightenment was a very intricate movement that was centralized on the concepts of progression, reasoning, and the scientific method. The Enlightenment thinkers believed they could implement some of these ideas towards societies and people. These ideas changed how humanity viewed the government, politics, and society. Although each philosopher had their own individual concept, they all centered on the themes of equality and freedom. Thomas Hobbes believed that religion should be separate from politics and supported a strong government based on reason. However, John Locke’s concept differed with Thomas Hobbes’ about human nature. Hobbes felt humanity was selfish and greedy. While on the other hand, Locke believed that every individual was born good and were given natural rights by God. John Locke’s philosophies were also composed on the ideas of life, freedom, and owning property. Locke believed that the king’s power should be limited by laws issued by the people. Baron de Montesquieu shared similar ideas with John Locke towards the subject of government. Montesquieu preferred a system that limited the power of a king and liked the idea of a government broken into different sections and that each should have some power to control the others. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that individuals should have certain rights and just like Locke’s ideology, he believed people were good, but were corrupted by society. Rousseau also believed that no

The Enlightenment has impacted the way we view society today and reoriented European politics, philosophy, science, and communications. In the wake of the scientific revolution people needed new insight into government, religion, economics, and education, this is where the Enlightenment was created. In the The Enlightenment was a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems, referred as the Age of reason by its participants. The enlightenment changed many ideas about government and society. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes two major characters in the Enlightenment were both English philosophers who have impacted modern political science. Both men had a significant impact on how individuals

The French Revolution was mainly the result of social causes. In the 18th century, the social classes were categorized as the First Estate, consisting of the clergy; the Second Estate, consisting of the aristocracy; and finally the Third Estate, including every remaining citizen; from the bourgeoisie (merchants, lawyers, businessmen) all the way to the poor peasants of the land. All the members of the first two estates were privileged in law and taxation. Moreover, there was virtually no way to move up the social ladder unless you were born into it, consequently, raising anger among the bourgeoisie since, despite their equivalence in wealth as certain nobles, they still had lower living conditions than the first two estates and were considered the minority.