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Essay On Age Of Reason

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A former colony turned global superpower, our Founding Fathers catapulted America into a nation known for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Age of Reason saw some of the most influential people in American history, including Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and the writers of the Declaration of Independence. It’s debatable whether America still adheres to the ideology that came out of the Age of Reason, but it has definitely impacted our laws and the way we view government immensely. America, a country founded upon risk-takers in search of a better life, during the Age of Reason, was a progressive and initiative country. We saw how our Founding Fathers were faced with complicated and sometimes terrifying situations. The thought of being independent from Britain, a far more developed country at the time, was close to impossible, but they still took the right course of action so that they wouldn’t constantly have to deal with Britain’s mistreatment. Not only as a country, but as people, were Americans …show more content…

We’re scared of different, we’re scared of change, we’re scared of the unknown, and the imaginary, we’re scared of judgement, we’re scared of answers, we’re scared of living. Conservatism leads many to believe that all the work has already been done for us, and that there is no need to mess up such a perfect plan, and if there’s anything to improve upon, it’s to the benefit of upholding this plan. Even in our personal lives, we view change like death, something that happens inevitably, with nothing that can be done about it. Any initiative we have left is motivated by fear, whether it be attacking a foreign nation for the actions of some people, or changing our appearances to appeal to societal standards. Our stagnancy as a nation is a resultant of our incapability to realize that just because something worked for people ages ago, doesn’t necessarily mean it can be as effective in an ever-changing

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In 1776, one of the most popular and well known founding fathers led the fight for independence in the royal colonies. In David Hackett Fischer’s book, “Washington’s Crossing”, he describes the troubles and even the unknowns of Washington’s experiences during the Revolutionary War. Fischer goes into detail about the first approach of the British as their massive naval fleet surrounds the state of New York all the way up to the point when the British became the defensive force rather than the offensive. “Washington’s Crossing” illustrates how the American Revolution wasn’t just pure success as at the beginning of the war, the Americans took many losses that almost completely crushed the revolution entirely. However, eventually the tides would

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These two pieces of evidence emphasize how Jefferson’s work for our country was crucial for our country’s development each in their own way. The Declaration of Independence was America's first act of becoming a separate nation of Great Britain. It contained the ideals of our nation, the complaints against the British king, and the arguments the colonists used to explain why they wanted to be free of British rule. Only the most patriotic men wrote it because they knew what they wanted in a

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1776 marked a significant year in American history. That was the year in which the U.S. declared its independence from its fathering nation, Britain. Britain did not just give America the freedom, America fought for their freedom. American broke away for numerous reasons. This paper will explain why the colonists broke away and whether or not their reasons for waging war and breaking justified.

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In his 1975 book, The Meaning of Independence, American historian Edmund Sears Morgan delves into the personal principles, fantasies, and actions of three of the founding fathers. Morgan, an eminent authority on early American history, commences his work by impressing the ways American lives would be different had the acts of the British not inspired a yearning for independence in the hearts of the American colonists. Once Morgan analyzes the characteristics of the first three presidents, he states their similar thoughts and ideas. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson all perceived the need for independence and the actions the colonies would have to take in order to gain their independence. These three men took action towards gaining independence for the colonies despite England’s inability to conceive that the colonies would ever be able to accomplish this feat.

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Oppressive actions such as the Boston Massacre heavily shook the general public’s view of their British rulers. Unfair policies such as the Stamp Act, in which colonists were forced to pay taxes on almost all paper goods, further agitated unrest in the colonies. If it wasn’t for a mix of oppressive actions and overbearing policies, the Revolution likely would not have gained enough traction to sway the views of the general public, and likely Thomas Jefferson would not have had enough support to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson not only used the Declaration of Independence to announce the United States secession from the British Empire, but he also used it to express all of the injustices he saw against colonist’s natural

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I would imagine that the idea of an independent American was not an easy idea for many to stand by. Many would have probably thought that it was an effort that was not worth the risks, that fighting the kingdom of Britain would bring too heavy a cost. But of course, there were those with enough courage to speak openly about their feelings on their country 's situation. Patrick Henry seemed like a man that was willing to do whatever it took to gain independence. Henry’s letter made me proud to be an American, and to know that these men and women were coming together to fight for a better future.

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200 Words | 1 Pages

Thomas Paine, 18th century author of the popular papers entitled The American Crisis, was a devout Deist who, after the Revolutionary War, was questioned about his religion and so wrote The Age of Reason as a response. In many of his writings, Paine would make his writing appear Christian, but he, however, did not believe that, as he explained in The Age of Reason. In this work, Paine shows his antagonism and distaste of all religions, with Christianity being first and foremost. In his writing The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine revealed his true convictions and opinions on all religions. Thomas Paine denied and rejected the truth of Christ by using his earthly reason to understand the supernatural.

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Even with the ideas of a split nation from Britain and becoming their own nation, these goals were still hard to achieve. Battles were fought, lives were lost, Treaties were signed, and Acts were put into place. With all of these ideas of America becoming a free country wasn’t easy to accomplish. The country you and I live in today is due to these delegates and members of the Continental Army for fighting for our freedom. The closer the government of the United States came to cutting ties with England, the more of a tax Britain was putting on our goods.

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Between 1763 and 1775, Britain attempted to exert control over its colonies in North America after a long period of neglect. Unfortunately for the British, their intervention caused a great deal of dismay for the colonists who were accustomed to Britain’s negligent behavior. Therefore, after a series of events and a complex set of intertwined reasons, the Americans decided to declare their independence from Britain in 1776 by issuing a document called The Declaration of Independence. Undoubtedly, this monumental decision spurred a war that caused numerous myths that many historians enshrined in their writings. That being said, the purpose of A Respectable Army was to identify those myths and to separate them from the historical reality of the

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887 Words | 4 Pages

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind” (Paine 1). With the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, and the publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, only a year later, this statement was widely recognized and addressed the issue at hand: the fight for independence. According to Paine’s assertion, America’s desire for peace and freedom is a basic necessity of life; it is what all men desire. Despite this innate thirst for liberty, many residents of America’s thirteen colonies were fearful of Great Britain, and because of this fear, complied with Great Britain’s every whim. Consequently, most colonists were hesitant to fight against the mother country for independence.

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661 Words | 3 Pages

On January 10, 1776, the piece was anonymously published and it was an instant sensation. Many colonists were wondering what they should do regarding Great Britain, and Common Sense encouraged many to think deeper into the idea of America’s independence. Today, Common Sense remains

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1714 Words | 7 Pages

Experience Humanities described the cannon as “a set of principles or rules that are accepted as true…in religion, the approved and authoritative writings are accepted as divinely inspired, such as the scriptures for Jews and Christians; and in religious and other contexts, certain prescribed rituals or official rules and laws” (Noble, Matthew, Platt 666). Christians believe in the bible, the Jews believe in the Tanakh, and the Muslims believe in the Qu’ ran. In order to understand a religion, one must understand the origin, the context, and the meanings laying in the book. The Jews are people group, they do not consider themselves as a race, but as a family. The core of their belief, Judaism, is about relationships: the connection between

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542 Words | 3 Pages

Many great works have been published throughout history that have impacted us to this day in how literature is written and viewed. The Age of Reason specifically affects the American literary works, as well as many views we hold. Each work made during this period was used to help influence the colonies during this time period to break free from Britain and become an independent nation based on the belief of freedom. The first piece which is presented is Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” it was the first drafted document of the three presented in this piece and when the revolution era began they created pamphlets for the Middle class so a larger majority of Americans could join in and revolt against Britain.

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695 Words | 3 Pages

Courage being the forefront of their strengths, showed the bravery of the Founding Fathers before the war had even begun by standing strongly behand their thoughts, beliefs and ideas to the point it caused turmoil between them and Britain, even though the outcome of their actions was obscured to them at the time. Courage may have been the front-runner for the founding fathers’ strengths, but their intellectual power reigns supreme as their greatest asset. The ability they had to think openly, freely and critically about topics such as freedom, life and politics becomes the founding fathers most prized possession and Britain’s worst adversary. Without their profound common sense and intellectual power as a strength the colonies would still resided under British rule instead of questioning their actions and becoming

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726 Words | 3 Pages

During the writing of “The Declaration of Independence”, Thomas Jefferson go to great lengths to describe why the colonies were choosing to separate themselves from Great Britain. This is done not only so readers will have a detailed description of what the American people were facing while being ruled by the King. The vivid depiction of all the cruelty he has shown towards the people. Furthermore, the lengthy, highly descriptive examination of all the wrongs and showing that the colonists made many appeals to the King but also the people of Britain that the reader now feels as if it is wrong for the Colonies to be under Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson begins by detailing the ethical standings of all people that live within the colonies.

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