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The European Age Of Enlightenment

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The European Age of Enlightenment, a period when great thinkers shared innovative thoughts on the governance and rights of man, slavery, the ultimate expression of human oppression, was widely practiced. The development of the Atlantic trade saw millions of Africans, enslaved by white European societies, shipped to the Americas to live a life void of liberty and dominated by misery, an existence starkly contrasting Enlightenment ideals. Despite the commonality of the practice, the Enlightenment movement successfully contributed to the abolishment of slavery by developing the public sphere, opening the door for discussion and critique of society, the advancement of education for the majority, and oscillation in social status due to the promotion of economic liberalism. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement of the eighteenth century that emphasized the use of reason and the application of progressive virtues to human society. Men promoting enlightened principles were determined to progress past the ideals of prior generations and advance the human condition without regard or reliance on religious systems. Key Enlightenment figures advocated the improvement of political institutions, enhancement and expansion of education, economic development, and open-mindedness to diverse ideas and beliefs. The Enlightenment maintained that progress was a law of nature, a stance that opposed many traditionalists and the general public of citizens who lived a lifestyle hardly

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