Based on what you know about the Enlightenment, the Great Awakening and the American Revolution summarize the relationships between all three and explain your answer.
How was American society impacted by the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening?
We speak of “liberty” today. What in your own opinion do you believe the people were seeking when thinking of liberty in terms of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. In other words, explain what liberty in terms of human rights and religious freedom mean to you and what you think it meant to eighteenth-century Americans.
Finally, we are speaking of concepts that are hundreds of years old. What value do you see them having today, if any?
The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, and the American Revolution were interconnected and had significant impacts on American society during the 18th century.
The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that emphasized reason, rationality, and scientific thinking. It promoted ideas such as individual rights, separation of powers, and the belief that society could progress through the use of knowledge and reason. The ideas of the Enlightenment influenced many American colonists, including the Founding Fathers, who incorporated these principles into the formation of the United States.
The Great Awakening, on the other hand, was a religious revival movement that swept through the American colonies. It emphasized personal religious experiences, emotional preaching, and the idea that individuals can have a direct relationship with God. The Great Awakening challenged established religious authorities and encouraged people to question traditional religious practices.
These two movements had different focuses, but they both had profound impacts on American society. The Enlightenment ideas gave rise to a growing belief in individual rights, intellectual curiosity, and the pursuit of scientific knowledge, which influenced the American Revolution. The Great Awakening, with its emphasis on personal religious experiences and questioning authority, contributed to a spirit of individualism and independence among the colonists.
In terms of liberty, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening played crucial roles in shaping the understanding of human rights and religious freedom. The Enlightenment thinkers emphasized individual liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness as fundamental rights. They believed that individuals should be free to pursue their own interests and exercise their rationality without arbitrary interference from the government or religious institutions. The Great Awakening, although primarily a religious movement, also fostered a sense of individual liberty by encouraging personal religious experiences and inspiring individuals to challenge traditional religious hierarchies.
In my opinion, liberty in terms of human rights and religious freedom means that individuals have the right to express their beliefs, pursue their own interests, and make informed decisions about their lives, as long as they do not harm others. It also means that individuals should not be discriminated against on the basis of their race, gender, religion, or any other characteristic.
The concepts of liberty, human rights, and religious freedom have enduring value even today. They serve as a foundation for democratic societies and the protection of individual freedoms. The principles of the Enlightenment, such as the belief in reason, equality, and the pursuit of knowledge, have shaped modern democracies and continue to guide discussions on human rights and social progress. Similarly, the idea of religious freedom, which emerged from the Great Awakening, remains a fundamental aspect of democratic societies, allowing individuals to practice their faith freely or choose not to follow any religion at all. These concepts are essential for fostering a just and inclusive society that respects and protects the rights and dignity of all individuals.