The Enlightenment in America

The Age of Reason 1715-1789 – just as important in America as in Europe The scientific revolution that grew out of the Renaissance, human knowledge had been growing; the Enlightenment drew on that knowledge in order to improve the human condition, by improving institutions (like government).

Thomas Paine An example of Thomas Paine as an Enlightenment thinker follows: The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.

The Enlightenment Philosophers of Europe Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot, Rousseau - their political ideas were “copied” by America’s great Enlightenment thinkers. American political leaders like Jefferson, Franklin, James Otis, John Adams and others were heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinking.  Probably one of the best examples of the influence of the Enlightenment was Jefferson’s final draft of the Declaration if Independence, which believed was a synthesis of American thinking.

The Impact of the Enlightenment The Enlightenment provided the philosophical basis of the American Revolution. The Revolution provided a “blueprint” for a democratic society. Even though it did not address the issue of slavery, the American Revolution was an enlightened concept of government. Examples of this impact can be found in the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are considered to be the primary examples of the Enlightenment in America.

The Words of Jefferson: If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it. Written in his first inaugural address

While the ideas of the Enlightenment were born in Europe, the practical application of these ideas can be found in colonial America, the American Revolution, and the government that followed.