How Did Jefferson Contribute To The Enlightenment

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The American Enlightenment began during the 18th century and is also known to be the Age of Reason. The period known as the enlightenment was generally during 1715 through 1789. The Enlightenment or the Age of Reason was an intellectual movement that focused on reason and individualism. America had its own figures of the Enlightenment many of them being Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison and many more. Enlightenment thinkers questioned traditional authority and embraced the idea that humanity could be changed rationally. But the American Enlightenment took the ideas of the European political thinkers and shaped them, which had generated a new kind of politics. Without key ideas like religious tolerance, republicanism, liberty, and democracy and figures from the Enlightenment, like John Locke the United States would be very different today. Philosophers like John Locke and Thomas Jefferson created foundations for colonial America as well as modern America. Thomas Jefferson also greatly influenced the movement. The ideas of the Enlightenment generally lead to the formation of a revolution of Great Britain. This also led to the creation of a modern republic. The …show more content…
These include rights and freedoms like the freedom of speech. When Jefferson was writing the declaration of independence got his ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from the enlightenment thinker John Locke. Locke wrote about life, liberty, and property. Locke said that people gained these rights automatically from the moment they were born. His ideas became the formation of many political systems and this gave many people freedom. This is similar to the Declaration of Independence, which promised all citizens personal freedom guaranteed under any form of government. This also made it possible for people to have their say in
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