Age Of Enlightenment Research Paper

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One of the most influential periods in the history of mankind, the Age of Enlightenment, was an era filled with different opinions and theories. It was a time in which humans were changing their thoughts on government, security, religion, progress, human nature and other developing concepts. During this age philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau, took the time to question politics. Because of their examination, they were able to bring forth a change in several of the European governments that surrounded them. However, the influence of their powerful views didn’t stop in Europe, it expanded onto the forming colonies of the West. The strong ideas from several thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment …show more content…

He believed that all people are born free and equal, with three natural rights, which included life, liberty, and property. He stated that a government’s purpose was to preserve the rights and if they were to do the complete opposite, they could be kicked out of power. Around the same time that Locke was sharing his thoughts, there was a group of English colonies who were struggling with an oppressive form of government. After a long and extensive war, the American Colonies had gained independence. After a while, they became outraged with the actions of their leader, George III, that violated every single one of their natural rights. Locke’s ideas made them realize how much they wanted and needed to have natural rights. They tried and tried to leave the leadership that was stripping them from their rights by writing out the Declaration of Independence which was fully based on the ideas of Locke. However, their government was not going to let them free, and continued to treat them unfairly. As they saw this occur, the colonists found nothing wrong with breaking free from the abuse that they were facing. As a result of the persistent reminder that every human being was equal, and had natural rights, the Americans made sure that those rights were what motivated the revolution and made up the documents …show more content…

In a time in which people could get exiled, in prisoner, or even killed for saying or writing something that offended someone in a high position, Voltaire continued to fiercely write about what he believed in. He was imprisoned and exiled for his harsh comments against leaders that surrounded him. Moreover, Voltaire was so passionate about religious freedom and freedom of speech that he would say, “I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.” (World History: Patterns of interaction p.1248). These beliefs had reached the people from the colonies of the West and they became an important piece of the American culture. In a way, Voltaire’s concepts correlated with Locke’s ideas about natural rights, and that strengthened the American’s belief that in freedom of speech and religious belief. So much so, that when the colonists finally obtained the freedom to make their own country, they made sure to promise freedom of speech and freedom of religious beliefs in their

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