How Did The Enlightenment Movement In America

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The Enlightenment movement began in Europe and reached the American colonies more than a century later. The European Enlightenment was responsible for inspiring revived interests in education, science, and literature were its advocates stressed the power of humans to reason as a means of promoting progress. It was also implied that through the application of these ideas, progress was possible “as people achieved more and more of their natural rights and that people had a stake in their own life and were entitle to reject authority if certain rights were denied” (p. 69).

The Enlightenment in America was more moderate than in Europe influencing both religious and political thought throughout the colonies. The belief was that God’s gift