Unit 9 Colonial Period: 1700-1800 (also known as the Age of Reason, Enlightenment, & Naturalism) I. Common Beliefs 1. Faith in natural goodness - a human is born without taint or sin; the concept of tabula rasa or blank slate. 2. Perfectibility of a human being - it is possible to improve situations of birth, economy, society, and religion.

3. The sovereignty of reason - echoes of Rene Descartes' cogito ergo sum or I think, therefore, I am (as the first certitude in resolving universal doubt.) 4. Universal benevolence - the attitude of helping everyone. 5. Outdated social institutions cause unsociable behavior - religious, social, economic, and political institutions, which have not modernized, force individuals into unacceptable behavior.

II. Functions of the Writers of this Period 1. A searching inquiry in all aspects of the world around. 2. Interest in the classics as well as in the Bible. 3. Interest in nature - the "absentee landlord" phenomenon. 4. Interest in science and scientific experiments. 5. Optimism - experiments in utopian communities 6. Sense of a person's duty to succeed. 7. Constant search of the self - emphasis on individualism in: a. personal religion. b. study of the Bible for personal interpretation.

III. Characteristics of the 18th Century Dawn of liberalism: freedom from restraint; age of revolutions in America and in France (1789); experimentation in science; economic concept of laissez-faire; the presence of the frontier; the development of rational religion known as deism; scientific curiosity; growth in nationalism; growth in materialism; the age of the gifted amateur; and belief in progressivism.

Philip Freneau

I. Freneau as Leader of 18th Century Naturalism 1. Fresh interest in nature. 2. The belief that nature is a revelation of God. 3. Humanitarian sympathy for the humble and oppressed.

4. The faith that people are naturally good. 5. That they lived idyllic and benevolent lives in a primitive past before the advent of civilization. 6. The radical doctrine that the golden age will dawn again when social institutions are modified, since they are responsible for existing evil.

Ben Franklin

I. Major Themes in Franklin's Writing 1. Interest in the individual and society; the creation of an American national identity. 2. Tension between aristocracy and democracy; the awareness of America as distinct in values and interests from those of England. 3. Tension between appearance and reality; shift from an other worldly to a this worldly viewpoint. 4. Tension between romantic idealism and pragmatic rationalism; theory should be tested primarily by experience not logic; reason should be tested pragmatically.

II. Omissions in Franklin's Writings 1. Discussion of racial themes. 2. Love and emotion between men and women. 3. Discussion of the inspirational use of nature.

Study Questions 1. Why is Ben Franklin considered the most important personality of the Age of Reason? 2. Discuss several permanent contributions Franklin has made to American life, ranging from the practical to the ideological. 3. Explain why the eighteenth century was called the Age of Experiment and consider the relevance of this term as a description of Franklin's writing.

4. What is the "religion" Franklin "preaches" to his readers in Father Abraham's speech? How do you explain Franklin's use of religious metaphors in his writing? 5. Choose any single section or aspect of The Autobiography as the basis for analysis. Or contrast Franklin's choice of focus in its four parts; consider the significance of his choice to address the book to his son; read closely the letters that begin "Part Two" and comment on their significance to The Autobiography as a whole; discuss Franklin's various practical attempts to alter his moral character.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Paine