The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening
Discussion Topic
Now that you've learned a little bit about life in the 13 colonies, let's take a closer look at the impact two movements, the EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment was the 18th-century belief that humans could use reason to improve human happiness by identifying and describing the "natural" laws of physics and human relations. It shaped the thinking of future Revolutionary leaders in regards to the "rights of man." Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and John-Jacque Rousseau influenced leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin before troubles began in the 1770s. These new ideas were later used in declaring America's break from Great Britain. and the Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening of the 1740s was a wave of religious revivals that swept through the American colonies, Scotland, and parts of Germany. Some important results were the founding of denominational colleges, the disintegration of New England Puritanism, greater toleration of dissent, and greater respect for individual spiritual choices., had on colonial life in the early eighteenth century.
In this activity, you'll read 10 pages in your textbook, and then you'll participate in a Discussion about the impact these two movements had on life in the colonies and on life today.
In your first posting, answer at least one of these questions:
- What are the similarities or differences between the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening?
- Is there anything in your reading that isn't clear? If so, post your question in the discussion. You should also feel free to respond to questions other students may have, or to comment on something you found interesting in your reading.
- What examples from American life today illustrate the values of either the Enlightenment or the Great Awakening?
- Do you think one movement has had a greater influence on American society than the other? If so, which one? Make a case and see how many of your classmates you can convince.
- Specific points you may choose to consider include: the importance of the individual, the notion of the perfectibility of society, ties to churches, and the idea of a social contract to protect the people's natural rights.
Required Reading
Before you enter the discussion, be sure to read the related pages in your textbook. If you are using Tindall and Shi, see:| 8th Edition | 7th Edition | 6th Edition | 5th Edition |
| Chapter 3, pages 149-159 | Chapter 3, pages 138-144 | Chapter 3, pages 141-149 | Chapter 3, pages 152-162 |
Original:
ReplyDeleteWhile the Enlightenment supported the powers of nature and reason , the Great Awakening was a widespread revival of faith. The Enlightenment era produced many scientists and promoted the understanding that natural laws govern all things. Intially, the scientific thought could be connected to established beliefs, however, in practice, scientific thought reduced God to a remote creator. Whereas the Great Awakening sought to reverse this predicament, where religion became too intellectual. In this time period, many evangelists arose in order to force colonists into renewing their faith, and while several carried evangelism to extremes, most sought to repair the rift between the colonists and religion created by the Enlightenment.
I think the Enlightenment had a greater influence on American society because colonists were not able to fall back on their old stand-by: God created everything and there is no reason to question that. What the Enlightenment did was separate religion from science in order to advance in science. Whithout having done that, many advancements and achievements in science would not have been possible because people would not have been willing to question the existence of everything.
Original :
ReplyDeleteThe similarities between the great awakening and the enlightenment is a new widespread of ideals which spread across the nation. Another similar trait between the great awakening and the enlightenment is the influence of western culture. The differences the enlightenment was based on an era of western philosophy, intellect, scientific and culture. Whereas the great awakening was that of religion into American history. The American Values incorporated from the enlightenment was put into the declaration of independence which is the basis of our US Constitution. One movement that had more influence would be the enlightenment because ideals were incorporated into our government, whereas religion (the great awakening) is not enforced in our society so it has no relevance.
To Jasbir:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument of which movement had more influence, The Enlightenment allowed for growth in science and future advancement in society. It also allow people to shift from the perception of God, and allowed for a more broad view of life instead. I did not recognize this evidence to support your side, well written and analytical I must say.
The Enlightenment was a revolution which focused on the ideal of reason and science as opposed to religion. The Great Awakening on the other hand was a movement based on the revival of faith and religion. While the Enlightenment focused on scientific discoveries including the heliocentric system, education, and academic progress within subjects including astronomy, chemistry and calculus, the Great Awakening attempted to introduce a wide spread revival of faith to those individuals who seemed to become "unchurched." Although these two movements were clearly different because one focused on reason while the other religion, both movements introduced the decision making process to the indivdual as well as gave people the power of choice.
ReplyDeleteTo Naomi and Jasbir:
ReplyDeleteI completely concur with the fact that the Enlightment has had a more significant impact on society as opposed to the Great Awakening. Although both movements were important it is evident that the Enlightenment contributed to the evolution of America through the introductions of new technologies, medicines and overall scientific discoveries. Now adays success is based on education and individual choice and decision making. The Enlightenment brought light to the importance of education and thinking based on reason rather than acting on impulse. Without the Enlightenment who knows where we would be today.
To Naomi and Tara:
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you agree with me...while religion is important for the spirtual mind, secular education would have suffered a setback if science had not been separated from religion. Science is about exploring possibilities no matter how extreme they mey be: religion would inhibit this freedom and not allow for objective, rational, and logical reasoning to come from science.
The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening are two of the most important movements in American History, and the world. While they both can be seen as having many differences...the Enlightenment being a secular movement as compared to the Great Awakening being a religious movement, they do have similarities. The Enlightenment was not a purley secular movement. At the core of the movement, there was the idea of natural rights, given to you by god. The Decleration of Independence...a direct product of the Enlightenment demonstrates this "the laws of nature and of natures god entitle them...that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights" As the Decleration tells us, the Enlightenment, although a secular movement, did have religion at its core. The Great Awakening, was a pure religious movement, one aimed to revive religion and Christianity in the colonies. Leaders preached of individuality, individual rights, and making your own decisions. This is another similarity with the Great Awakening...individual rights. Both of these movements incorporated the belief that the individual has god given rights, and has the ability to make his own decisions. So although the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment are considered different movements, at their core they are indeed very similar.
ReplyDeleteTo Naomi Jasbir and Tara:
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree with your notion that the Enlightenment had a greater influence on American society then the Great Awakening did. The Enlightenment, whether we like it or not, was more of an aristocratic movement. It happened at the high classes of society... politicians, philosophers, scientists. It has big names like Ben Franklin, Voltaire, and John Locke. It had a profound impact on the writing of the Decleration and politics, government and philosophy. But the Great Awakening happened on the level of "the people." The farmers, merchants, tradesmen, servants, seamen, and everyday people who worked hard. That is the true American society. George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwars, and other preachers inspired these everyday people, and the people listened. They started to understand and appreciate their God given natural rights, and take control of their lives. The impact was tremendous. So while the Enlightenment did have a major political, philisophical, and scientific impact...the real influence to the people of the American colonies came from religion and the Great Awakening.
To Naomi:
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree with you that the Enlightenment should have a greater impact on society, the fact of the matter is the Great Awakening had the greatest impact on American society. Although the Enlightenment allowed people to discover new ideas and create new theories, those ideas were influenced by religion. Even today people consider religion while making everyday and long term decisions.
Original:
ReplyDeleteThere are numerous similarities and differences between the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. The Enlightenment was a revolution in thought which began in the seventeenth century. The revolution emphasized reason and science over the authority of traditional religion. However, the Awakening was a widespread revival of faith during the early seventeen hundreds. During the Enlightenment period, numerous scientists such as Benjamin Franklin, Sir Isaac Newton, and Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the church’s claim of “god’s work.” These theories included the discovery of gravity, the discovery of a heliocentric solar system, and the invention of countless items. The Enlightenment period changed the focus of life from religion to academic. The Awakening, however, re-introduced the emotional force behind religion creating a dramatic movement of conversion and salvation. Although, both the Enlightenment period and the Great Awakening contain numerous differences, they are also similar in many ways. Both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening created an emotional movement that affects life. Both movements encouraged people to think for themselves, weakened the status of the clergy class, and changed tradition. In American life today, there are numerous examples that illustrate the values of the Enlightenment, including the scientific method. I believe that the Great Awakening had a greater impact on American society than the Enlightenment. I believe it has a greater influence because today religion is still considered scared. Even though academics are considered highly important, today there are religious institutions, such as Catholic Schools. Also the Pope is a highly respected figure in society. For example, the Pope visited New York a few months ago, and there was continuous coverage on numerous news stations reporting on his journey through the city and his stops. Also the bible holds the current record for the most copies sold. If you really think about it, religion has to do with everything, even though it is not stated. For example, currently numerous people are undecided when it comes to the concept of gay marriage. Some people it is every person has the right to pursue happiness as stated in the United States Constitution, however, many people oppose gay marriage because they see it as strike against religion. Gay marriage is just one controversial topic today; stem cell research and abortion are among others.
The Enlightenment was a movement in Europe from about 1650 until 1800 that advocated the use of reason and individualism instead of tradition and established doctrine. It brought about many humanitarian reforms. Advances in philosophy and intellectual, scientific and cultural teachings were brought about during this era. The Great Awakening was a period of heightened religious activity primarily in the UK and the North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It was basically an immense religious revival that swept across the Protestant world. The differences between the two movements would be that the Enlightenment was in terms of a new educational and secular awareness and the Great Awakening was in terms of a new religious awareness.
ReplyDeleteThe Enlightenment was epitomized by Benjamin Franklin. Because science was his passion, he pursued many experiments and innovation in science. Through this, he wrote about Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751). John Winthrop Jr., a three time Connecticut governor, was a professional scientist and a professor at Harvard University. He introduced calculus, astronomy, geology, chemistry, and electricity to the colonies. He too was deeply inspired and influenced by the antics of the Enlightenment. The Great Awakening gave rise to prominent American institutions of education such as Harvard, the College of William and Mary, and Yale. Harvard was founded because the Puritans wanted a religious ministry that would be able to surpass that of government. The College of William and Mary was created to strengthen the Anglican ministry. Yale was created by the Puritans of Connecticut who believed that Harvard was drifting from the strictest orthodoxy. Other prominent institutions include but are not limited to are: King’s College, Columbia, the College of Rhode Island (later called Brown), Queens College (later known as Rutgers), and Dartmouth. They were all founded on a premise of religious ideology influenced by the Great Awakening.
To: Xander
ReplyDeleteI think both of them really influenced American society. “During the imperial crisis of the 1760s and 1770s, the ideas of the Great Awakening and especially the Enlightenment helped shape the American response to British actions and thereby contributed to a revolutionary mentality.” America: A Narrative History Seventh Edition pg.144 Making Connections. The framers of the constitution idealized the concepts of individuality, separation between church and state, natural rights, and other Enlightenment philosophies. In terms of politics, government, and religion, the basis of the framers ideals came from the Enlightenment. The Great Awakening was one of the root factors for rebellion. Most of the colonies were founded to ensure a religious freedom. It was the grounds to fight for what the colonists believed in.
The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening are both social movements that have tremendously impacted the decelopment and the creation of the United States. The two movements changed the world socialy, economicly, and politicaly. Both movements ideas were reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The Great Awakening was reflected in the first amendment. The Great Awakening's ideas introduced the ideaof freedom of religion. The Enlightenment reasoned that individuals are more entiled to making there own desicions and that they did not need a king three thousand miles away to dictate his policys on to them.
ReplyDeleteThe Enlightenment period and The Great Awakening were two dramatic movements in history that altered the mind set of numerous individuals during that time. the Enlightenment Period occured during the 18th century where scientific, philosophical, intellectual, and cultural life was being recognised. though this period was occuring, The Great awakening was a contradiciton, such that it brought about in the 1730s, a revival of the church.
ReplyDeleteThe differences of these two periods are obvious. The Enlightenment brings out the ideas that go aganist relgiious belief, and allows people to rebel and go aganist societal norms. The Great Awakening, on the other hand enforced and allowed for the freedom for many individuals to be apart of relgiious freedom and traditions of the church.
Both the Enlightenment and The Great Awakening have had impacts on history. It allowed for the colonist's in America to rebel aganist a monarch to gain political freedom, whil forming religious freedom and the power to bring untiy for the church.
In response to Shahnaj, wow, you definitely included an immense amount of information that I did not even know about. It opens up my mind to a bit more than what I previously knew. To all of my other classmates, I believe there is a consensus that both periods had a strong impact on history, at some times equally and unequally at other times.
ReplyDeleteThe enlightenment and the Great Awakening were very important movements in US history. The enlightenment was a movement that began the new awakening of science and logic over religion. People began to question religious logic and question the world. The Great Awakening was a new revolution of religious awakening. New religions began to emerge free and were practiced.
ReplyDeleteThe similarities between these two is that they both changed the world. They also involved the emergence of new ideas, whether they were about science,logic,society or new religions being practiced without punishment. The difference is right there with enlightenment being more about scientific, sociable stuff while the Great awakening was about religion. I fell that the great awakening had more influence because we all practice religion freely and its in our Constitution though the enlightenment led us to have science, math and history in school.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Awakening and The Enlightenment were very important movements in U.S. history. The Great Awakening was a religious movement that inspired people to practice their religion without persecution. This movement also inspired the 1st in the Constitution. The Enlightenment dealt more with social, political, philosophical, and scientific issues. The Enlightenment brought forth the importance of democracy, freedom, and reason in societies. Ideas from The Enlightenment led to the development of the scientific method, capitalism, and religious tolerance. Some of these ideals are not practiced in the U.S. exclusively, but are practiced throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteOriginal:
ReplyDeleteThough both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were widespread idealistic shifts, they were based on two different ideas. The Enlightenment stressed the powers of nature and reason and took steps away from religion as the dominant answer to understanding the laws of nature. Soon after, however, The Great Awakening happened in response to this shift from religion to science and sought to reverse it. The Great Awakening differed in practice from the Enlightenment in that evangelists during the Great Awakening took evangelism to extremes, forcing colonists to renew their faith.
In American life today, science is not subject to religious scrutiny, similar to the Enlightenment. For example, evolution is widely taught even though it goes against the beliefs of creationism.
I think that the Enlightenment had a greater influence because American society is much more science-based and less religion-based than society prior to the Enlightenment. Colonists sought to question and reason much more than rely on religion and because of this many scientific advancements occurred.
Original: The Great Awakening and The Enlightment are two periods in history where there was a great transition , there are some similarities as well as differences between the two events. The Great Awakeing was a time of accepting religion and diversifying the types of relligion. Freedom in that area has manifested into being in the Declaration of Independance , and constitution. The Enlightenment period was a time where logic and reasoning became the key to disovering science, math etc. They both molded the way the world works. I personally think that The Enlightenment had better benefitted society in a way , being cognizant of the world around you and learning is a powerful tool
ReplyDeleteThe Great Awakening and The Enlightenment are similar and different in a few ways. The Enlightenment focused around scientific discoveries which influenced a new train of thought that consequently challenged the main ideas in religion. The Great Awakening brought about a stronger influence of the Church's sphere into the lives of people. It was strongly based on faith and belief.
ReplyDeleteThe differences are obviously striking, they are two opposite movements. Yet they both fit into a a shared category of influence. Both had a great impact over a wide spread area.
In the end the Enlightenment had a stronger influence that has had a lasting impact. Today there are still signs of the Enlightenment in today's society.
I agree with Jessica and Naomi who both indicated that the Enlightenment had a stronger impact and benefit to society.
ReplyDelete