The Revolutionary Period

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The Revolutionary Period

• Junior English

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Overview

• End of 17th Century
• Also known as The Age of Reason
• New ideas in Europe challenged ideas of the
  Puritans
• The age of tinkerers and experimenters

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Rationalism

• The belief that human beings can arrive at truth
  by using reason, rather than by relying on
• Authority of the past
• Religious faith
• Intuition

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A New View of God

• Contrast to Puritan belief that God is actively
  involved
• Believed God created the universe and left it to
  run on its own (like a clock)
• How does it run???
• on REASON! (logical thinking)

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Important Progress

• Revolutionary War
• Independence from Great Britain
• Huge emphasis on science and philosophy

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The Smallpox Plague

• Came by ship in 1721
• ½ of Bostons population died
• Cotton Mather Let us look upon sin as the
  cause of sickness.
• Started controversial campaign for inoculation
• Conflict between science and religion

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Deism

• Sought principles to unite all religions
• Beliefs
• The world is orderly and good
• People are inherently good
• Humans are perfectible (through reason!)
• Best form of worship is to do good for others
• Origins of social welfare programs

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Self-Made Americans

• Belief in the American Dream
• Classic tale of rags to riches
• ALL people can be successful regardless of
  heredity
• Ideals
• reason, industriousness, perseverance,
  self-reliance, progress

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Writings

• Essays
• Pamphlets
• PERSUASION
• Personal narratives
• Franklins Autobiography

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Important Writers

• Benjamin Franklin
• Patrick Henry
• Thomas Jefferson
• Thomas Paine