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What Role Did Religion Play In The American Revolution

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In 1775, American colonists declared war to gain political independence from Britain. Not only were the American colonists wanting nationhood, but the belief that all men were created equal and that all people had certain rights that no one could reject. Not only was it a fight for independence and rights, but also religion played a huge role throughout the American Revolution. To start off, I will explain a little bit of background about the American Revolution. Then, I will tell about the religious movement throughout the American Revolution, such as who was involved and how did the religion impact this area during the revolution. I will also talk about important events during this time such as the Enlightenment and the Salem Witch Trials. …show more content…

The Enlightenment was a “movement to prioritize the human capacity for reason as the highest form of human attainment” (Schultz, 2016). The American Enlightenment occurred after the occurrence of the European Enlightenment. “During the 1600s most people from the Western world believed the unquestioned primacy of rulers (spiritual and secular), humans incapacity for social change, and our time here on earth is a temporary interlude on our journey toward either eternal salvation and damnation” (Schultz, 2016). Throughout this time, everyone had different religious beliefs and values. “In the 1500s, European scientists, Copernicus, who argued that the earth revolved around the sun, not the other way around, began to question these foundational beliefs” (Schultz, 2016). By the 1600s, well informed people were suggesting if natural laws protected society and the universe, and if these natural laws were able to be accessed by humans for the use of reason. “The most prominent thinkers were John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Locke believed that one’s environment was more significant than divine decree in the development of one’s character and that individuals had “natural rights” to life, liberty and property, which a king or pope could not deny. Rousseau argued that humans were born virtuous, which resulted to check for the growth of social institutions. The ideas from

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