During this time period many of the colonist were not as focused on their religious duties as they had when beginning the colonies. Many Americans were in search for religious freedom leaving Britain, but as America progressed many lost devotion towards their religion. The colonists had their focus on goods, land and the ruling of their country. George Whitefield helped spark the movement of The Great Awakening by this article and by preaching thousands of sermons to save God’s calling. Whitefield explains the tragedies occurring in the colonies as Gods judgment towards their sin and their soon death if they are not saved.
Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin were two individuals who shaped a new and modern way of life for the common people during the 17th century Enlightenment movement due to the numerous essays, and theories that were put forth by the two. The enlightenment movement happened during the 17th and throughout the 18th century in what is now Europe. It mostly questioned the views and ideas concerning, reason, humanity, and the most coveted topic God. The doubts of the philosophers led to changes. Tremendous improvements and changes were made in the domains of philosophy (how one sees the world), art, and most importantly politics.
The Great Awakening unified the diverse colonies with the belief that colonists must shift their lives’ focus from worldly matters, such as accumulating land and wealth, back to faith and the church i n order to avoid condemnation by God. Ministers, such as the passionate George Whitefield, became very influential and powerful at the time by spreading this concept along with methods for earning salvation. For example, “at Philadelphia…, many thousands flock[ed] to hear him preach the Gospel, and great numbers were converted to Christ” (VOF 78). With a large following, Whitefield’s ideas “... encouraged many colonists to trust their own views rather than those of established elites” (GME 160).
As two of the most prominent movements in American history, both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening have had a tremendous impact of the colonists in America. The Enlightenment brought forth a ton of attention to learning and knowledge. With new ideas brewing in the European nations from the Renaissance, travelling colonists spread word very quickly which led to the Enlightment. The Enlightenment increased literacy in a big way and affected politics as well. Colinists wanted to improve their style of living, and by doing so, they needed the Enlightenment era to improve everyday life with new inventions, experiments, and theories.
Edwards was known as the one that started the First Great Awakening 1741 he got most of his glory by one of his most known sermons “Sinners in the Hands of an angry god” its became an American Literature classic. George Whitefield belonged to the Anglican Church. He along sides his friend Edward with his powerful personality and persuasive peaching spread the Great Awakening. They travelled all through the colonies from Georgia to the Hamptons many converted after meeting with these two. The states that got the most people to join in on their new moment were, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
Ryan Nelson Ms. Graham US History 20 October 2017 The Influential and Social Effects of the Revolutionary Era The revolution brought about innovation through new ideas and the abolition of old traditions and laws. One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin was one of the many who was able to rise to the top at the prime of the era because of his intelligence and charisma.
The Enlightenment was a period of intellectual and philosophical movement that challenged the traditional ideas of the world. It included a range of ideas centered around reasoning as the primary source of authority and legitimacy. As a result, it changed the mindset of many individuals concerning those things. In particular, it was a major influence to the establishment of the U.S. government. Thomas Jefferson and the other framers of the U.S. Constitution believed in Enlightenment principles, so they used those key ideas to help mold their newly found country.
Enlightenment was a concept that inspired a new way of thinking of the people. In the newly formed United States of America, enlightenment shaped the way the new government was run. Scientific reasoning was applied to politics, religion, and science. Enlightenment saved music, art, and literature programs in colleges. Enlightenment in Europe led to drastically altered views on philosophy, politics, and communications.
Those who were considered as general leaders of the Enlightenment years were thought to be very intellectual and were held by most people in the highest regard throughout the colonial society. Some of the more common names spoken back then were of men such as “John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison” (Sage, 2013, para. 3). Jean-Jacques Rousseau was another prominent thinker as well. He believed that all “individuals had natural rights to life, liberty, and property, which even a king or pope could not deny” (Schultz, 2010, p. 69). Rousseau, along with countless others fought for the rights of the people while insisting that each person is afforded the lawful right to live their own life and to cast aside the authoritativeness of others if they saw fit in doing
Colonies supplied raw materials unavailable in England, providing a healthy market for English manufactured goods. England adopted mercantilism and Parliament passed four types of regulations to increase national wealth, including enumerated products, the Navigation Act of 1651, and the Molasses Act in 1733. The colonial economy expanded twice as fast as England's and by the 1760s, £4 million worth of English manufactured goods were imported into the colonies annually. Colonial cities grew, and many colonists worked at trades directly related to overseas commerce. However, in the eighteenth century, the gap between the rich and the poor widened.
Jonathan Edwards was a descendant of Puritan priests. He had an impact in the times of The Great Awakening. The Great awakening was a religious reaction to the enlightenment. The awakening was not completely going against the Puritan religion but rather trying to join the ideas of the enlightenment and religion itself into harmony (Lecture, Week 4). This was difficult as the enlightenment caused people to question their religion, which was unusual in the Puritan community.
At the start of the 18th century, the beginning of the Enlightenment was upon America. There were many factors and people who help play a part in the Enlightenment or, in other words, the Age of Reason, some of the people that assisted the enlightenment was Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adam. Each of the philosophers demonstrates the fundamental idea of the Enlightenment like liberalism, rationalism, conservatism, toleration and scientific progress. Even though each person played an important part, the most influences person that was involved was Benjamin Franklin. Throughout Benjamin Franklin`s life, he demonstrates through his action and writing that he was the epitome of the Enlightenment by showing that he was
The age of enlightenment was a philosophical peak in history that set a course for the rest of time. Many different ideas were brought about that shaped the way we live to this day, especially here in the states. Two philosophers in particular affected the United States of America; Thomas Hobbes and Tom Locke. Both of these philosophers pasts formed their philosophy and the ideas they had, which affected the government of their time, and our government today. Hobbes and Locke had very different upbringings and backgrounds, which led them to having very different points of view on life.
Benjamin Franklin was a very important man in the Enlightenment period due to his vast knowledge of science and politics. The American Enlightenment provided the structure for the colonists of America to evolve into a unique American character by 1763 through the circulation of reading materials, the scientific discoveries that lead to unique inventions, the development of a different government, and the tolerance for many religions. This evolution can be assessed by the life of Benjamin Franklin, a key proponent of the Enlightenment. The 18th century was when Britain and its colonies grew closer because of the circulation in letters, newspapers, and books.
The enlightenment was an intellectual movement resulting from scientific advances, and it applies critical thought and reasoning to everything, including political systems and its relationship to religion, particularly Christianity. During the enlightenment, ideas were spread and shared more easily due to an increased literacy of the people and because of the invention of the printing press, making it easier to make and distribute newspapers, thus information, to the people. One of the leading personalities during the enlightenment was a man named Voltaire, he was a judge, and was critical of the French government and its absolutism. One of his publications was called “Letters Concerning the English Nation”. He states that the “Social Contract”,