The Enlightenment influenced the American revolution with natural rights, to overthrow the government when things started to get too violated, have the freedom of speech, and religious tolerance creating a more tolerant government in the U.S.
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“When the First Continental Congress met in 1774 to draft a Declaration of Rights and Grievances against King George III, they asserted that the rights of the English colonists to life, liberty and property were guaranteed by “the principles of the English constitution,” a.k.a. Magna Carta" (ushistory.com). -
Magna Carta provided the most powerful representation of such rights, as it was written in response to historical rights violations. Magna Carta had opened up so many of our rights and freedoms and a set of safeguards against the abuse of arbitrary power. -
“The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source"(ushistory.com). -
The Stamp act sparked outrage in the United States. Later on it was a big cause of what led to the American revolution. The Stamp Act was the first time the British government imposed a direct levy to collect income from the colonies. -
"The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated to a chaotic, bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution" (ushistory.com). -
The Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770, in Boston, when British soldiers opened fire on a group of American colonists, killing five of them. The event in Boston was to help unite the colonies against Britain but instead it turned into a small fight that then led into the American revolution. Boston was also a big part of the revolution because it was the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. -
"The act gave the company extended favorable treatment under tax regulations, so that it could sell tea at a price that undercut the American merchants who imported from Dutch traders. That didn’t sit well with Americans. “They didn’t want the British telling them that they had to buy their tea, but it wasn’t just about that,” Randall explains. “The Americans wanted to be able to trade with any country they wanted" (ushistory.com). -
The Act's main purpose was to have the power to transport tea to different colonies. The Tea Act was an attempt to get colonists to buy British tea and acknowledge Britain's taxation authority. The Tea Act enraged colonists even more because it went against the fundamental principle of consent self-government. -
"The English Bill of Rights encouraged a form of government where the rights and liberties of individuals were protected. These ideas and philosophies penetrated into the colonies of North America. Many of the themes and philosophies found in the English Bill of Rights served as inspirations for principles...... -
...for principles that were eventually included in the American Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution and, of course, the U.S. Bill of Rights. For example, the 1791 U.S. Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech, trial by jury and protection from cruel and unusual punishment" (ushistory.com) . -
The English Bill of rights was a way to support individuals' rights and liberties to be respected by their government. John Locke's purpose of the government was to protect the basic human rights so the Bill of rights was all to protect the people’s rights. -
political theorist John Locke (1632-1704) laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and made central contributions to the development of liberalism. Trained in medicine. His political theory of government by the consent of the governed as a means to protect the three natural rights of “life, liberty and estate” deeply influenced the United States’ founding documents." (ushistory.com). -
John Locke had a theory of people to have three natural rights, life, liberty, and property and that whoever decided not to follow those rights, they would be removed by the people or by force if it was necessary. Natural law, social contract, religious toleration, and the right to revolution were all concepts introduced by Locke. -
The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is best known for his political thought, and deservedly so. His vision of the world is strikingly original and still relevant to contemporary politics. His main concern is the problem of social and political order: how human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict....... -
....He poses stark alternatives: we should give our obedience to an unaccountable sovereign" (ushistory.com). The Founding Fathers were really influenced by Thomas Hobbes established in America's First Principles, including unalienable rights, the Social Compact, and limited government. His main focus is the issue of social and political order: how humans can coexist peacefully and avoid the risk and fear of civil war. -
There was no single, unified Enlightenment. Instead, it is possible to speak of the French Enlightenment, the Scottish Enlightenment and the English, German, Swiss or American Enlightenment. Individual Enlightenment thinkers often had very different approaches. Locke differed from David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau from Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson from Frederick the Great...... -
...Their differences and disagreements, though, emerged out of the common Enlightenment themes of rational questioning and belief in progress through dialogue" (ushistory.com) Voltaire's greatest contribution to the growth of the Enlightenment was his 'common sense' campaign against superstition and prejudice and in favor of religious tolerance. Voltaire paved the way for a wide range of views and activities in our world today. -
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/.
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History.com Editors. “Revolutionary War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history.