The Enlightenment Period

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The Enlightenment Period was the reformation of society, politics, and the economy. The Enlightenment Period was occurring throughout Europe during the 18th century. Traditional views were challenged by science and reasoning. Philosophers who had a great impact during the Enlightenment period included: John Locke, Voltaire and Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Adam Smith. John Locke proposed that everyone was born free and had certain unalienable rights. Locke’s philosophy can be observed through sections of the United States Declaration of Independence.
A logical and scientific approach to socioeconomic, political, and religious matters advocated a profane view of the world producing a common awareness of progress. Individuals can and …show more content…

The new republic shifted the power back into the hands of the state rather than in the hands of the citizens. In 1793, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed. France took an advancement in the war during 1794 with the help of pro-citizen politicians, meaning that the politicians wanted betterment for the citizens. Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety were overthrown. France reconstructed the government so that it was well suited for the citizens. France had the aspiration to take their newly formed government and spread it throughout Europe. The Atlantic Slave Trade was the forceful migration of millions of Africans to the Americas. The demand for slaves increased as the demand for commercial agriculture expanded throughout the developing world. Slaves were not only used for agricultural purposes, but also domestic purposes. The demand for sugar would lead to the formation of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Sugar was a major crop grown mainly on the eastern Atlantic regions. The Portuguese were the first people who had an outlasting effect on the Atlantic Slave Trade. Portuguese were using native slaves in Brazil, but the native slaves were dying in large masses. The Portuguese started to buy African slaves. African slaves had a longer life expectancy when compared to the native slaves. African slaves could endure the greater work load and were not as susceptible to native diseases. Early victims of the Atlantic Slave Trade were traded throughout different locations, which included the Americas, Middle East, and a number of other locations throughout the world. The early slaves of the Atlantic Slave Trade were captured or received from coastal areas of