Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a movement that swept through Europe and America in the late 17th and 18th centuries. It was a time when reason, science, and progress were championed, and when new ideas about politics, religion, and society were being debated and debated. The Enlightenment was a response to the religious and political turmoil of the time.
There are many factors that contributed to the spread of the Enlightenment from Europe to America.
One of the most important was the rise of the middle class. In Europe, the middle class was largely made up of the bourgeoisie, or those who owned businesses. They were typically educated and had access to a wide variety of books and ideas. The middle class was instrumental in the spread of the Enlightenment because they were the ones who could afford to travel and study in Europe. They also had the means to purchase books and bring them back to America.
Another important factor was the Great Awakening, a religious revival that took place in the eighteenth century. This led to a growth in religious toleration and an interest in new and different ideas.
The Enlightenment also spread to America through the work of thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Franklin was an inventor and a diplomat, and he spent time in Europe where he was exposed to Enlightenment ideas. Jefferson was a lawyer and a planter, and he also spent time in Europe. He was heavily influenced by the French Enlightenment. He helped to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment to America through his writing, his speeches, and his work with the American Philosophical Society.
The American Revolution was another factor that contributed to the spread of the Enlightenment. The ideas of liberty and equality that were championed by the Revolutionaries were based on Enlightenment principles.
In England, the Enlightenment was sparked by the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which overthrew the Catholic king James II and ushered in a new era of religious toleration. In France, it was the philosophes, a group of thinkers who challenged traditional ideas about society and government, who helped to spread the Enlightenment.
All of these factors helped to spread the Enlightenment from Europe to America. The middle class played a particularly important role in this spread, as they had the means to travel and study in Europe, and they also had the means to purchase books and bring them back to America. The Great Awakening and the American Revolution also played a role in spreading the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment had a profound impact on America. It helped to shape the country's founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It also influenced the way Americans thought about religion, government, and society. The Enlightenment helped to create a new, more rational, and more tolerant society in America.
