Compare And Contrast Enlightenment And American Revolutions

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. Scientific discoveries were made and contributed to the growth of the people in Europe and America. The Enlightenment was a growth period in Europe and America, as people were told to rely on their own intellect instead of always looking to God for answers. Unfortunately, because of their existing class structure, religious positions, and authoritative rule, these new ideas in Europe could only be debated.

The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.”

In this unit, you examined the American and French Revolutions. The American Revolution, sparked by conflict over British rule and influenced by Enlightenment ideas, broke colonial ties with a monarchy and yielded a new nation. The French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution as well as the Enlightenment, freed French citizens from an absolute monarchy and secured equality before the law for all male citizens.

In 1607, Great Britain established their first colony on today’s Virginia. Great Britain continuously increased number of North America colonies; in 1754, number of colonies was as much as 13. To increase number of colonies, Great Britain fought numerous wars, won most of the wars and became one of the most powerful nations in the world at that time. How dare only 13 colonies could stand up to unfair treatment and various kinds of taxes payment? However even a worm will turn, in 1755 on the increasing exploitation of Great Britain, citizen of 13 colonies eventually opposed against Great Britain and caused American independent war, also called American Revolution. There are numerous

In the first place, both the American and French Revolution had their causes that would change history. The American Revolution was caused by the greed of the British and the thoughts of the enlightened people. All the peasants wanted to be free of the unfair taxation on items such as tea and stamps considering they had no say. This coincides with James Otis’s phrase, “taxation without representation is tyranny,” which led to, “no taxation without representation.” Enlightened thinkers such as Locke gave the ideas that it was the government's job to protect the people life, liberty, and property.These enlightened thinkers

In conclusion, The Enlightenment greatly impacted the American Government and Revolution because the ideas and concepts that were gained from the time period supported the new beginning of our nation’s prodigious

The French Revolution and Latin American Revolution both followed the pattern of: citizens became dissatisfied with government, moderates gaining more power, radicals taking over, and then entering a period of acceptance. France was divided into three estates. The third estate

When revolution happen in history they often go through several stages before they are put to an end. Almost all revolutions in history have these stages but the details are almost always different. A good example would be the American revolution and the French Revolution. Because both of these revolutions had a similar cause and effect, means they will have very similar stages. The american revolution’s main purpose was to become independent from the British and create their own country. The French revolutions purpose was to abolish the oppressive french government and create a new France (Britannica). Although what they wanted were not related the stages that occurred during the revolutions were similar. The American revolution and the French revolution were both revolutions that were similar by having similar stages of a normal stage, widespread dissatisfaction, and the transfer of power and change.

I agree that the Enlightenment was force for positive change in society. The Enlightenment was one was the most important intellectual movements in History, as it dominated and influenced the way people thought in Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries. We will look at how it ultimately influenced the American and French Revolution which is still strongly governed by these ideas and principles today.

This sharing of power added ideas from the newly formed government that focused on the freedoms of citizens in England. Voltaire contended that the English government had successfully limited the power of the monarchy by affirming the power of the nobility, criticizing the French feudal system for its inability to share political power amongst the citizens of France (6). Advocating a limited monarchy to hold political discussions concerning the progress of the French government towards liberal reforms during the French Revolution. Voltaire as an enlightened philosophe, published papers about the rationality of the French government, which influenced his attitude towards the English constitutional monarchy that implemented the enlightened ideal of liberty. John Locke wrote that the purpose of electing legislative powers was to create laws and rules that protected the “properties of all the members of society,” a natural right of mankind (5). Enlightened thought presented by Locke outlined the formation for a new government that served the people of the nation, restoring their rights and liberties, rather than just the

The Enlightenment was a period of time that stressed the importance of reason and individual ideas. Many philosophers published works criticizing a country’s monarch or divulging the flaws they saw in a system within the government, such as the justice system. The Enlightenment also stressed the importance of education, and as a result of this, literacy rates experienced a major upward trend. Now able to read the philosopher’s works, a larger sum of people now were educated on the corruptions within their government. This caused a questioning of traditional practices, and people began to believe they could revise their government. These new ideas played as a catalyst to acts of resistance, or in a broader retrospect, the French Revolution.

In conclusion, the Enlightenment was vital to the American Revolution and the creation of American Government. The Enlightenment beliefs that influenced the American Revolution were natural rights, the social contract, and the right to overthrow the government if the social contract was violated. The Enlightenment beliefs that aided to the creation of the American government were separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. As stated before, without the Enlightenment there would not have been a revolution, resulting in no American Government. The Enlightenment’s influence on the creation of America is irrefutable. Although there are more beliefs and ideas that came from the Enlightenment that have influenced America, the

“The most perfect education, in my opinion,is…to enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as well render [her] independent” (Doc D). The Enlightenment was a time period from the early 17th century to the late 18th century. There were many philosophers who contributed to making The Enlightenment. John Locke was a man who wanted freedom of government during 1690 (17th century) in England. He wanted this because he believed everyone was born with natural rights and the government should respect them and whoever didn’t, the people would have the right to impeach them. Voltaire was a man who wanted freedom of religion during 1726 (18th century) in Paris, France. He wanted this because he believed that freedom of religion would bring the world peace. Adam Smith was another man who believed of freedom, but he mostly believed in the freedom of economy.He did this during 1776 (18th century) in Europe.He thought this because he believed everyone should have the right to do what they want with their earnings that they made. Mary Wollstonecraft was a women who believed in

“God, who has given the world to men in common, has also given them reason to make use of it to the best advantage of life and convenience” (Locke, 35). The Scientific Revolution concentrated on understanding the physical world through astronomical and mathematical calculations, or testable knowledge. The Enlightenment focused more on “Spreading of faith in reason and in universal rights and laws” (Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, 535). While the Scientific Revolution preceded the Enlightenment, both time periods sought to limit and challenge the power of the Church, through the spread of science, reason and intellect, and political philosophies.

During the seventeenth century, many of Europe’s diverse and numerous countries were going through countless political, economic, and cultural transformations. The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment were two of the greatest, most important changes of the early modern era which greatly altered the course of history in most of Europe. People were starting to question and challenge widely accepted beliefs and applying approaches to knowledge rooted in human reason to the physical universe and human affairs. The study of history often focuses on these events and its effects on Europe, excluding or ignoring its effects on places outside of Europe. The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment both sparked interests in science in China and