Sephora Kodjo
Professor Gina Flowers
English 2131
February 11. 2015
The “Enlightenment” and the “Great Awakening”
During the late seventeenth and early eighteen centuries, colonial America saw their most important changes. American cities became the major provider to colonial America’s economy. In instance, population increased outrageously with colonizers coming in quantity and due to the development of farms.
The two major revivals that had lasting effects on the country happened during the economic boom. One was called the “Enlightenment” and the other one was the “Great awakening”. During the enlightenment period, most of the intellectuals believed in the power of human thoughts to understand the world as never before. While The Enlightenment focused on stimulating the role of religion, the Great
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Many early American believe in folk wisdom ad God intervened and continuously in human affairs. However, Europeans during the French revolution in 1789 used reasoning and logic to explain the world and advance society including social institutions, and human behavior. They wanted to reduce the role of religious establishment. There was four principles of the enlightenment which were order of the natural world, power of human reason, natural rights of individuals (life, property, and liberty) and progressive improvement of society. In addition, one of the most famous personalities were John Locke. He proposed human life could be changed through education, and purposeful action. On the other hand, while educated American turned to be deism (rejection of religious knowledge), other colonists turned to pietism (holy sentiment) which accentuated religious emotions and strived for union with God. In New England, for example, the puritan Jonatan Edwards restore Christianity for congregational
During the 19th century, the American people were experiencing a revolution concerning both the economy and religion, in what is recognized today as the Market Revolution and the Second Great Awakening. A rapid increase in the population within the countryside, and the development of new technology outburst a change in the economy from one of local exchanges to one governed by capital and capitalists. Family owned businesses began to expand and sold their items not only among a small community, but now products were being shipped to different ports along the colonies. The industrialization movement was rapidly approaching that “Indian removal was necessary for the opening of the vast American lands to agriculture, to commerce, to markets, to
In writing A Voyage Long and Strange, Tony Horwitz’s goal is clear, to educate others on early America and debunk ignorant myths. Horwitz’s reason for wanting to achieve this goal is because of his own ignorance that he sees while at Plymouth Rock. “Expensively educated at a private school and university- a history major, no less!-I’d matriculated to middle age with a third grader’s grasp of early America.” Horwitz is disappointed in his own lack of knowledge of his home country, especially with his background history and decides not only to research America’s true beginnings, but to also follow the path of those who originally yearned to discover America.
The awakening prompted changes in the value of politics and daily life, which enabled America to
Although all the colonists all came from England, the community development, purpose, and societal make-up caused a distinct difference between two distinct societies in New England and the Chesapeake region. The distinctions were obvious, whether it be the volume of religious drive, the need or lack of community, families versus single settlers, the decision on minimal wage, whether or not articles of agreements were drawn for and titles as well as other social matters were drawn, as well as where loyalties lay in leaders. New England was, overall, more religious than the Chesapeake region. Settlers in New England were searching relief for religious persecution in Europe. Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were coming in droves to America searching for an opportunity to have religious freedom.
Transcendentalism is a highly competitive world of the market revolution which strongly encouraged the identification of American freedom without any restraints on people who were seeking financial improvement and personal development. It was a world in which regional developments along with the market revolution crushed traditional and social borders. For example moving from one place to another was a common characteristic of the American life. Transcendentalism believed in individual judgment over existing social traditions and institutions.
“Independence, free will, and personal effort are considered primary virtues that contribute not only to personal achievement but also to the success and well-being of the nation.” This quote, stated by Charles Finney, means that people must be able to choose for themselves and make their own decisions in order for the country to become better than it is. The Second Great Awakening began for several different reasons, consisted of many different church revivals and leaders, and ultimately had a lasting impact for several more years after the end of the Second Great Awakening. There were several different factors that led up to the Second Great Awakening. Some such factors are listed by Richard Kaplan in his article titled, The Second Great
Enlightenment was a concept that inspired a new way of thinking of the people. In the newly formed United States of America, enlightenment shaped the way the new government was run. Scientific reasoning was applied to politics, religion, and science. Enlightenment saved music, art, and literature programs in colleges. Enlightenment in Europe led to drastically altered views on philosophy, politics, and communications.
After the War of 1812 up to and past the death of Zachary Taylor in 1850, the United States was undergoing a period of cultural, governmental and social reform in which citizens were pushing for more democracy, freedoms, and rights for various groups of people. This time was called The Second Great Awakening that changed citizens’ views on religion, morals, rights and even life values, all of which were main drives for reform in areas such as women’s rights and voting, the issue of slavery, and government facilities such as
The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the American Revolution and the formation of the American Government. Firstly, The Enlightenment was a philosophical evolution that emphasized the aged ideas of the Greeks and Romans. In addition, the major philosophers of this time period were Voltaire, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, Adam Smith and Isaac Newton. Their ideals include having an absolute monarch as a government (T.H), the separation of powers (Mont.), the government should not interfere with a free market economy (A.S), the freedom of speech (Volt.), the government could be overruled (J.L), and the government should rule according to the will of the people. Nevertheless, these ideals are important because they shaped the government that we have today.
The American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were two very important motivators that changed the colonial society in America through religious beliefs, educational values, and the right to live one’s life according to each individual’s preference. The Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment movements were two events in history that signaled a grand distinction to the teachings among religious believers. New beliefs of how a person should worship in order to be considered in “God’s good graces” soon became an enormous discussion among colonists across the land. “Men of the cloth,” such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were well respected and closely followed when preaching about the love of God and damnation.
Alejandro Garcia Dr. Haas History 102 21 April 2016 The New America The Constitution of America clearly states in the first amendment that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise”. As a result from this, throughout the 1790s until the 1830s many religious rose up and became known by the power of this amendment. This rise of different religious that really shook America and change the country forever is known as the Second Great Awakening. At the beginning of the American revolution the largest well known religious in America known at that time were the Congregationalist, who are related to the earlier people who came to America know as the Puritans, Anglicans as well those known
The Enlightenment, also known as the “Age of Reason,” occurred in the eighteenth century and was a period in which ideas concerning God, nature, reason and humanity were combined, and these ideas instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy, and politics. The Enlightenment was crucial in determining aspects in terms of politics, government, and religion. Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Montesquieu influenced the Founding Fathers and their ideas were found in the Declaration of Independence. The most important influence that shaped the founding of the United States came from John Locke, an Englishmen who redefined the nature of government.
The Enlightenment period is often closely linked to the Scientific Revolution, as both movements emphasize reason, science, or rationality, while the Enlightenment movement seeks to develop understanding. The system of natural and theological rules. The movement originates from the radical revolution begun by Galileo and Newton, in an increasingly unfavorable climate of repressive power, in personal, social, and governmental discoveries. Enlightenment believes that systematic thinking can be applied to all areas of human activity, including state activity. Leaders of the movement believe that they will lead the world into a new era of humanity, reason and freedom from a long period of suspense, absurdity, superstition, and dictatorship that
The Enlightenment gave people power to make the changes they wanted for independence and politics using intellect and reason, their natural right. The norm of a society that is modelled today became reason over
The Enlightenment was a period during the 1600 and 1700s where authority, power, government and law was questioned by philosophers. The causes of the Enlightenment was the Thirty Years’ War, centuries of mistreatment at the hands of monarchies and the church, greater exploration of the world, and European thinkers’ interest in the world (scientific study). A large part of the Enlightenment was natural law, which was the belief that people should live their lives and organize their society on the basis of rules and precepts laid down by nature or God; the principles of the Enlightenment in the 1600s through the 1700s influenced the development of the USA by advocating religious and social freedom, freeing the people from oppression, and providing