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How Did The Enlightenment Influence Colonial America

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During the creation of Colonial America, many early ideas and characteristics began to form. Backgrounds began to become more diverse and communities began to become more occupied. Earlier more successful governments, set strong precedents, and taught American Founders the ideal route. A time period that was most influential for the American government was the Enlightenment Period. The Enlightenment set a foundation that many founders referenced and created the United States in their footsteps. The Age of Enlightenment influenced America's founders, considering it was a thriving time for all of science, technology, and many great minds. By having proof that this government lead to social and economic success, it impacted their opinions toward the government greatly. During the Middle Ages in Europe, the church was of utmost importance and was a strong …show more content…

More people began realizing that, if they tried hard enough, they could improve their ranking and change their social positions. Therefore, this took away a lot of the church’s power, and restored it to the people. Also, because of the new discoveries in science and technology, government was equally affected. At the end of the Thirty Years’ War, a new system was introduced as the nation-states. With this policy, land was divided into numerous small states, while simultaneously uniting them all in one nation. This then allowed for more independence among the people allowing them to choose their own institutions, including religion. Natural rights philosophers continued to support the natural world and the laws that govern it. Men like Hobbes and Locke introduced topics such as inalienable rights, including but not limited to, “Life, Liberty, and Estate.” All of these structures were later used in the creators development of the U.S., considering they were alive to watch all of these progressions occur before their very

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