American Enlightenment

Following the historical period of Puritan American literature, a new literary movement during the mid 18th century to the early 19th century from Europe introduced a new school of thinking in literature. The Age of Enlightenment sprouted new ideas concerning philosophical ideas of liberty and freedom. Enlightenment literature also explored the concepts of democracy and reasoning. The central ideas of Enlightenment literature surrounded itself, in a sense, as a rejection of religion, specifically church dogma, in favor of new ideas that focused on reasoning. The rise of these ideas resulted from the advances of empirical science, skepticism toward old traditions and authority, and the focus on reasoning and intelligence. Enlightenment writing…

The American Enlightenment refers to a time period beginning in the early 1700’s and lasting until the early 1800s. During this period, the thought process and foundation of America began to form based on new philosophic ideas. Influenced by the European Age of Enlightenment, the American Enlightenment began to incorporate scientific reasoning into politics, the further development of science, religion, and even began developing religious tolerance. The American Enlightenment was believed to be…

The Enlightenment, an age of extraordinary philosophical thought, hit Europe by storm in the 18th century after the death of King Louis XIV of France. The ideals stemming from the age ranged from classic liberalism to free market economics from an even wider range of others, a notorious few being Robespierre, John Locke, Adam Smith, etc. Enlightenment ideals lead to many key events such as the American and French Revolution. The American Revolution began as a struggle between British colonist in…

The Enlightenment was a movement that started in the 18th century that introduced the use of reason. This use of reason was similarly used in the scientific revolution that had begun in the early renaissance but was now being used in philosophy. The big Enlightenment philosophers were Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Locke and Voltaire. Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote a book titled “The Social Contract” and the ‘Social Contact’ is a political theory that an individual relinquishes some of their rights to…

Stemming from the European Enlightenment came the American Enlightenment. “This as a movement to prioritize the human capacity for reason as the highest form of human attainment” (Schultz, K. 2014 p. 69.). The main idea of this is that each of the central thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Adam Smith suggested that progress was possible as people achieved more of their natural rights and people were invested in their own life and should have the ability to reject authority…

During the years between 1770s and 1820s, a series of revolutions occurred in the west of hemisphere, which includes American, French, Haitian, and Spanish American revolutions. All of these revolutions correspond to the same series which is known as the Atlantic revolutions. Enlightenment ideas was the most incentive theme to the revolutions, as all of them were inspired by the ideas like equality, free trade, and religious tolerance and became conscious of the current situation that was filled…

Have you ever wondered where all the ideal ideas for American government came from.”The Age of Enlightenment” or “The Age of Reason” was the age when people gave new bright ideas towards the government.A lot of the ideas for American government came from the Enlightenment period.Philosophers from the 17th and the 18th century a lot of ideas of great ideas on the topics of religious,social,economic,and political freedoms. Adam Smith believed that people were free and they can pursue whatever…

The Enlightenment or otherwise known as the Age of Reason was a revolution in itself of human thought. In the beginning of the late 17th­century the Enlightenment started as a cultural movement of philosophers in Western Europe, emphasizing individualism and reason while questioning traditional authority.1 They embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through a rational change. The Enlightenment spread outside of Europe to the United States, continuing to the end of the 18th century.2…

Many unforgettable events from the past influenced society as we know it today. Many people such as John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, and Voltaire; François-Marie Arouet, were all philosophers in their time. They all came from the period in time known as the Enlightenment. American society is the way that it is today because of the ideas of philosophers from the Enlightenment. Locke and Montesquieu both contributed by influencing ideas for American society today. Voltaire fought for freedom 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 the press, and religious tolerance. There were many enlightenment thinkers, but only 3 of many stood out to contribute to the ideas that led to the American revolution and still have an impact today. Montesquieu , John Locke, Thomas Hobbes thought different influencing American colonies, their opinions on the role of government, and how…