The British Enlightenment And The American Revolution

The American Revolution was a product of the British Enlightenment as well as both American and British history. The Enlightenment was age of innovation taking place during the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period there were great advancements in science that pushed back religious superstitions, as well as developments in economics and political thinking. (lecture) The British Enlightenment specifically had a large impact on the American Revolution with key figures such as John Locke. His works including, Two Treatises of Government (1690), were highly influential upon the founding fathers of the United States. Historical events must also be understood as impacting the revolution as the colonists drew upon their past experiences to†¦show more content†¦In this way the colonists saw the British not holding up to their end of the social contract. Locke and others present this idea that an agreement exists between a people and their government in which the people permit the government to rule in return for the government guarding the people s natural rights. Locke argued that if the government does not protect the people’s rights it is their duty to revolt. The colonists did not see the British as protecting their rights and thus used the social contract theory as justification for the American Revolution. Several key figures in the American Revolution are prime examples of the impact of the British Enlightenment. These include Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson who both contributed significantly to American Enlightenment thought. Franklin was both a great political mind and a scientist or inventor. His inventions include the Franklin Stove and the Lightning Rod. His political mind on the other hand was put to use for many years trying for reconciliation between the American colonies and the British homeland. Franklin was committed to the British Empire and admired it for most of his life. This is shown in his acceptance of the sugar acts because he believed the British would do no harm to their colonies and would not impose on them more than they could bear (Wood 107). He clearly did not understand the colonists’ views on taxation. Further his proposition instead of the stamp act, because â€Å"it [would have]Show MoreRelatedCauses Of The American Revolution1202 Words    |  5 PagesThroughout history many revolutions took place, ranging from the unremarkable to a truly memorable, as the French revolution, the American Revolution, and the Bolshevik Revolution, but American revolution took place in 1775-1783. The revolution was different from other revolution because of growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government because American revolution was not like the others. 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