Literature During The Enlightenment

In the decades following the Civil War as the United States was changing from a primarily agricultural to an industrialized nation the American intellectual landscapes was changing in equally important ways. New ideas in the worlds of literature, science and philosophy were having great impact on intellectual and artistic endeavors and theses ideas were not just influencing the social elites but also America’s growing mass of ordinary, literate citizens. This influence would set in motion a change in mass direction for the United States. There are many important events that occurred during the Gilded Age. This age was birthed at a time following the Civil War, around the Reconstruction Era and it would continue to rise until its last breath

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.

There were many philosophers in the 17th and 18th century that influenced and inspired the founders of our country. For instance, John Locke believed that life, liberty, and property should be our natural rights as humans and if the government could not secure these rights then the people could get rid of them. That idea impacted Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This was the perfect time to develop different theories and contradictions because this was right around the time of the printing press and protestant reformation where people started to question the catholic church. Other philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau impacted founders like George Washington and James Madison who have positively affected this country in many different ways.

The Enlightenment, the Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens, and Napoleon are all correlated through various ideas and goals. Many of these ideas and goals shaped the world that we live in today. As living in this world, you will know that ideas and goals change throughout time and can alter future events. The 1700s –1800s consist of great examples of ideas and goals altering future events shown through the Enlightenment, the Declaration of Rights of men and Citizens, and Napoleon’s rule. The main ideas of the Enlightenment were reason, individualism, Fraternity, and skepticism.

Throughout the American Revolution we can see examples of ideas taken from the Age of Reason. More commonly known as the Enlightenment Era, this was a period of time where humans began to see that reason could be used to solve all problems. There were many philosphes during this time but three main ones were Machiavelli, John Locke, and Voltaire. Despite each of their own ideas inspiring different leaders throughout the Revolution, they all would hold a different outlook if we were able to ask them today. For example, Machiavelli would see the Revolution more than likely repulsive.

The enlightenment is the period of knowledge, increase in deism, scientific advancements, belief in progress, equality. The enlightenment is from the mid-decade of the seventeenth century thought the eighteenth century. It was emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were notable enlightenment thinkers for many reasons. Franklin was a scientist and philosopher.

The Scientific Revolution is what lead the people to a new way of life, a life where they were valued as well as their ideas in society and in government. The Enlightenment was influenced by the development of the Scientific Revolution to use logic and reason to challenge accustomed beliefs. Before the Scientific Revolution, people were blindly following the church and believing everything they said. They lacked the freedoms of speech, religion and they did not possess any knowledge of their own. The Scientific Revolution, the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation led the people to a new age of intellectual pursuits and new outlooks of the word that differed from the Church’s.

This process of seeking is what enables us to discover numerous scientific facts, laws, and theories as well as religions. As citizens of a mostly democratic era, people are allowed to have their own personal beliefs, believe in their individual god or gods, in some religions. Furthermore this demonstrates the constant opposition of science and religion where once lived a harmony. Most scientific and technical innovations were achieved by societies organized

The Second Great Awakening’s Impact on Abolitionism in the North The Second Great Awakening during the late 18th and 19th centuries sparked many reform movements in the United States. The new enlightenment age fostered scientific thought that often challenged traditional Christian practices. Principles of “Deism” and “Unitarianism” were religious philosophies that focused on free will, reason, and science. Thus, less literal biblical interpretations began to arise during this period. These new behaviors worried many preachers, so they began to reform the church in a way that promoted good works and change for the benefit of society.

Some of the main philosophers of the Enlightenment Period were Immanuel Kant, Voltaire, and David Hume. Kant played a big role in the devolvement of philosophy for his contribution in science, social behaviors, and religion. Kant expressed the contexts for understanding ethics and values which the western world integrated into their own culture and government. Voltaire was mainly an author, writing anything from plays to novels. However, he had a great interest in science which he acquired from Madame du Chậtelet, his mistress.