ipl-logo

American Enlightenment Influence Essay

1738 Words7 Pages

The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas in The Declaration of Independence

The Enlightenment era, of all of the eras in America, perhaps has been the very first era where the people of America actually started to change their way of thinking. I mean let's face the truth, the Pilgrims and Puritans didn't have some revolutionary thought, their act and way of thinking were heavily determined based on the Bible they read (though they already defied the customary law simply by reading the Bible). Of course they also had some kind of idealism. We could see it by the Mayflower compact (in which the essence of the compact was the dream of the people in creating a nation with their own system, and still respected the Ruler of the Great Britain) [2] however …show more content…

Because the meaning of “the pursuit of happiness” in America at that time was still deeply connected to the “pursuit of property”. And talking about property, back in those time the Americans politics and social orders were still heavily determined by the property-owning. I was wondering why did Jefferson erased the word “property” when almost every aspects in America was determined by it.

C. Six Ideas of American Enlightenment and Its Influence
Based on www.iep.utm.edu, there are at least six ideas came to punctuate American Enlightenment thinking: deism, liberalism, republicanism, conservatism, toleration and scientific progress. And using these six ideas, we could see how these ideas were represented in the Declaration of Independence.

1. Deism and Scientific Progress
In the introduction I already gave a brief overview of the religions as viewed in the Enlightenment. This quotation is only to add the definitions of the deism itself, "European Enlightenment thinkers conceived tradition, custom and prejudice as barriers to gaining true knowledge of the universal laws of nature. The solution was deism or understanding God’s existence as divorced from holy books, divine providence, revealed religion, prophecy and miracles; instead basing religious belief on reason and observation of the natural world."

Show More
Related

What Is Thomas Jefferson's Response To The Declaration Of Independence

800 Words | 4 Pages

Also Jefferson very deliberately borrows Thomas Rousseau ideas of a social contract. The Declaration of Independence was written to separate us from Great Britain, but the reasons were less political and more inspired by human will and what is right for all mankind, which is another reason why it is such an influential

Read More

Compare The Contributions Of The Enlightenment To American Independence

246 Words | 1 Pages

(a) One of the most significant cause of American values leading to the Revolution was the ideas of the Enlightenment, which helped lead to the American independence. One of the major ideas of the Enlightenment, which lead to the American Revolution was that people should not believe in something just because that was how things had always been. The Enlightenment encouraged Americans to reject the ideas of monarchy and the ideas of the Enlightenment helped give Americans the idea that they should become independent. (b) The colonists were paying taxes and debts for goods and these taxes such as; the Stamp Tax and the Tea Act, were seen as completely unnecessary. The American colonists were treated unfairly, they didn't have their rights, therefore,

Read More

What Are The Immediate Effects Of The Zenger Trial

705 Words | 3 Pages

Thomas Jefferson was clearly familiar with Locke’s work when drafting the Declaration of Independence where he stated that Americans had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Enlightenment influenced colonists to think rationally about their government, realize what was lacking, and work to change it. John Locke also stated that citizens had the obligation to revolt if their government did not protect their rights. Enlightenment ideas did not result in any real change in the years before the Seven Years War but they were consumed and discussed by colonists who would use them in the years to

Read More

1. What Are The Five Overarching Ideas Introduced By The Declaration Of Independence?

1080 Words | 5 Pages

 The five overarching ideas introduced by the Declaration of Independence are: a) All people are equal b) They are endowed with rights that cannot be taken away. c) These rights include life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. d) People from governments to protect those rights. e) Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Read More

How Did The Enlightenment Contribute To The American Revolution

141 Words | 1 Pages

Enlightenment ideas were important to make the people write the Declaration of Independence which started the American Revolution. There were actions of many people that started the American revolution such as the actions of King George the third impacted all of these greatly. King George the third was the one who made the actions become so great that they had to write a document to get the rest of the colonists in on revolting or breaking away from the kingdom. This document was called the Declaration of Independence that finally declared America’s independence from England. The colonists did many different things that made the American Revolution happen, including come up with the ideas of the Enlightenment.

Read More

Similarities Between The Enlightenment And The Declaration Of Independence

667 Words | 3 Pages

The Declaration of Independence’s ideals are artfully connected to the Enlightenment period which heavily influenced the ideologies of the British colonists. The ideals of freedom and equality were ever present when the Declaration of Independence was written and subsequntly expanded upon in modern American Government. The correlation between the Declaration of Independence and the Enlightenment can be seen in the structure of the Declaration of Independence. The grievances are stated in a very logical manner, with no arguments based on religion with the individual colonists welfare in mind.

Read More

How Did The Enlightenment Influence The American Identity

1522 Words | 7 Pages

The American identity has evolved over time. During the 1700’s, the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, occurred. It spread rapidly across Europe, and then to North America. This revolutionary way of thinking was crucial to the development of the American identity. The Enlightenment was the period for cultivation of science and human reason.

Read More

How Did The Enlightenment Influence The American Government

426 Words | 2 Pages

The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the American Revolution and the formation of the American Government. Firstly, The Enlightenment was a philosophical evolution that emphasized the aged ideas of the Greeks and Romans. In addition, the major philosophers of this time period were Voltaire, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, Adam Smith and Isaac Newton. Their ideals include having an absolute monarch as a government (T.H), the separation of powers (Mont.), the government should not interfere with a free market economy (A.S), the freedom of speech (Volt.), the government could be overruled (J.L), and the government should rule according to the will of the people. Nevertheless, these ideals are important because they shaped the government that we have today.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Enlightenment And American Revolutions

907 Words | 4 Pages

Enlightenment views on government and policy helped the two new governments create their own unique system for governing. One ideal of enlightenment was equality. America believed in equality before the law. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

Read More

How Did The Enlightenment Influence On America

558 Words | 3 Pages

Enlightenment was created by the English philosopher John Locke. The ideas that were influenced by enlightenment were life, liberty, and property. This also gave to the idea of natural right. Enlightenment influenced the way people finally realized that divine right wasn’t right and start to doubt it. Throughout time enlightenment has influenced a lot of important events in history.

Read More

Montesquieu Influence On The Enlightenment

466 Words | 2 Pages

The Enlightenment, also known as the “Age of Reason,” occurred in the eighteenth century and was a period in which ideas concerning God, nature, reason and humanity were combined, and these ideas instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics. The Enlightenment was crucial in determining aspects in terms of politics, government, and religion. Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Montesquieu influenced the Founding Fathers and their ideas were found in the Declaration of Independence. The most important influence that shaped the founding of the United States came from John Locke, an Englishmen who redefined the nature of government.

Read More

How Did The Enlightenment Influence The French Revolution

896 Words | 4 Pages

Different factors had a part to play in starting or even propelling ‘the Age of Enlightenment’, including the rule of the Church and State which experienced a power struggle among them, in addition to the Western discovery of latest societies with noticeably exclusive cultural traditions and norms. Many intellectuals felt unhappy with the fixed social styles amongst their very own collectives, and angry at their governments' refusal to provide non-public rights. The lasting political effect of the Enlightenment can't be overstated. At the least three fundamental political revolutions came about throughout this time period in Britain, America, and France.

Read More

Ideals Of The Declaration Of Independence Essay

739 Words | 3 Pages

The Ideals of the Declaration: Which is Most Important? There are four ideals in the Declaration of Independence. The American Government became independent in July 1776. Five men wrote the Declaration of Independence, the main one being Thomas Jefferson.

Read More

Enlightenment Era Research Paper

677 Words | 3 Pages

The beliefs that people believed in before the era was basically made by the society/govt. with no proper logic or explanation. But people just believed and followed it, almost like robots, because they thought that they were “supposed” to and they didn’t know any better. Until, the intelligent and smart people like philosophers and writers actually spoke out the truth and explained the ideas to society. So by then the ideology of Enlightenment spread around numerous societies, which eventually led people to reconsider and think about the high powers of churches and governments and the affect it had on society.

Read More

The Relationship Between The Scientific Revolution And The Enlightenment

745 Words | 3 Pages

The Enlightenment gave people power to make the changes they wanted for independence and politics using intellect and reason, their natural right. The norm of a society that is modelled today became reason over

Read More

More about American Enlightenment Influence Essay

Related Topics

Open Document