Reference no: EM133354828

Case Study: The Enlightenment began as an intellectual movement emphasizing the powers of reason, observation, and experience as a means of explaining the natural and social worlds in 17th century France and Great Britain and spread across Europe. These ideas eventually became part of the Columbian Exchange as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean, becoming part of the Atlantic World, to the British colonies in America fueling resistance to British rule and eventually leading to the American Revolution heralding the start of the Age of Revolution.

The idea of gaining independence from a tyrannical ruler, which started in the American colonies, soon spread to Haiti, France, and by the start of the 20th century to Russia. One could argue that if oppressed peoples continue to revolt against tyrannical regimes, the Age of Revolution will continue. The Enlightenment idea expressed in our Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created equal" has historically been used by other nations as they sought their own independence including the nations of the Philippines, Korea, and Vietnam in the 20th century. When the Age of Revolution began, European leaders fought against it and took the stance that the new nations created would not last long and they would eventually regain their colonies. Obviously, they were wrong, the United States has stood strong as an independent nation for more than 240 years!

Let's look at where the idea of an independent American nation came from, and how it developed. There are several enlightenment philosophers whose ideas were used including John Locke, Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and on our side of the Atlantic, Thomas Paine. There are too many to utilize for this assignment, so we will focus on a select few. The readings for this assignment will include:

Question: How did the writings of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson impact the decisions of colonists as the American Revolution began? What were the short-term and long-term consequences?