Influence of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening on Revolution

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the impact of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening on the American Revolution. The Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason and scientific understanding, questioned traditional practices of the Church and promoted critical thinking, while the Great Awakening sought to restore religious fervor among the colonists. Both movements challenged established authority and emphasized the importance of the individual, fostering an environment where colonists began to question British rule. The essay argues that these intellectual and religious shifts played a significant role in motivating the colonists to revolt against England, ultimately shaping the future of the United States by creating an intellectual atmosphere that paved the path for the American Revolution. The paper references scholarly works to support its claims and contextualize the historical significance of these movements.

Running head: IMPACT OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE GREAT AWAKENING
Impact of Enlightenment and The Great Awakening
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1IMPACT OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE GREAT AWAKENING
The Enlightenment questioned the practices of the Church and the concept of
scientific understanding of the world. The Great Awakening took place in the early 1700
when the church leaders wanted the Puritans to return to the state of intense dedication to that
of the Church (Gunn, pp 86). American Revolution was indicative of a colonial revolt that
occurred between the years 1765 and that of 1783. American patriots hailing from Thirteen
Colonies won independence from that of Great Britain and emerged to become United States
of America (Tindall and David, pp 109). This essay compares and contrasts the impact of
Great Enlightenment with that of Great Revolution and how they contributed to the American
Revolution.
The Enlightenment highlighted that Earth revolved round that of the sun and not the
other way round. According to the Enlightenment, the world is ruled by mathematical laws
that are fixed. People started becoming more interested in the factor of “why”. The Great
Awakening was responsible for restoring the Christian religious faith of the colonists
(Washington and Army, pp 78) It challenged the authority of the established churches. Great
Awakening laid stress on emotional religious conviction whereas the Enlightenment focused
on reason. Both laid stress on questioning the authority and laid importance on the individual.
Enlightenment emphasized on human reason and the Great Awakening de-emphasized the
role played by the Church (Gunn, pp 25). The Enlightenment along with the Great
Awakening led many colonists to change views regarding government and the broader
society. They played a great role in motivating the colonists to rise in revolt against that of
England. The ideas imbibed within Enlightenment and the Great Awakening shaped the
future of the United States (Bailyn, pp 36). Reason compelled people to question the current
state of affairs that paved the way for the American Revolution.
The Enlightenment stressed on the “why” factor and the Great Awakening stood firm
against the authority of the institution of Church. Great Awakening and Enlightenment laid

2IMPACT OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE GREAT AWAKENING
increasing stress on the role played by the individual. These movements were responsible for
providing motivation to that of the colonists to revolt against England and created the
intellectual atmosphere that paved the path for American Revolution.

3IMPACT OF ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE GREAT AWAKENING
References:
Bailyn, Bernard. The ideological origins of the American Revolution. Harvard University
Press, 2017.
Gunn, G. (2017). The Pragmatist Turn: Religion, the Enlightenment, and the Formation of
American Literature. University of Virginia Press.
Tindall, George Brown, and David E. Shi. America: A narrative history. WW Norton &
Company, 2016.
Washington, G., & Army, C. (2014). The American Revolution: 1775-1783. Vol. II. Boston:
Little, Brown.