The Enlightenment in America

The Enlightenment in America was an intellectual movement during the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights. It encouraged people to question traditional authority and to think independently. Thinkers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson promoted ideas such as liberty, democracy, and the pursuit of knowledge, which influenced the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. This movement helped shift society toward valuing reason over superstition and laid the groundwork for modern principles of human rights and governance.