Explain The Key Ideas Of The American Enlightenment

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The American Enlightenment was in the thirteen American colonies in the period 1714–1818. The Enlightenment was influenced by the European and American philosophy. The american Enlightenment applied scientific reasoning to politics, science, and religion, promoted religious tolerance, and restored literature, the arts, and music as important disciplines and professions worthy of study in colleges. The american thinker were Thomas Paine, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.There are six key ideas that can from the american enlightenment thinkers: deism, liberalism, republicanism, conservatism, toleration and scientific progress. These six key ideas were first used in the European Enlightenment and some of these ideas were adapted by the American thinkers One of the first key ideas that can from the enlightenment was Deism. The European enlightenment thinkers conceived tradition, custom and prejudice as ways of gaining knowledge of the universal laws of nature. Deism is understanding God’s existence as divorced from the holy books. And divine providence, Toleration was a major theme in the American Enlightenment. They believed that hate or fear towards other races and faiths interfered with the economic trade, freedom of thoughts and expression, eroded the basis for friendships among other nations. This led to war and persecution. The American calvinists helped to create open, friendly and tolerant institutions such as the secular public school and democratically organized religion. They also believed the civil government should protect liberty of conscience to worship as one chooses. That they should not establish an official state sanctioned church. The american founders,persons of every faith or no faith could settle and thrive peacefully and without fear of persecution by government or fellow citizens. The scientific Progress was directly related to the growth

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