Enlightenment, the philosophical European movement of the 16 and 1700s, changed the way revolutions operated globally and enduringly. This “Age of Reason” propelled revolutionary crusades with intellectual ideals that favored individualism over religion. Both the American and French Revolutions sought self-determination and the expansion of political rights, and were aided by the words of the Era’s notability. In the late 1700s, America began to take steps toward becoming the United States. The region was still a colony of England, and they were fighting to be a self sufficient country. Enlightenment ideals pushed them to fight for their rights; once they’d won the battle they looked to the ideals as to how their country would be governed.