How Did The American Revolution Contribute To The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a period of philosophical advancement in Western Europe. The four main enlightenment thinkers were Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke, and Montesquieu. Voltaire emphasized the freedom of speech by writing attacks towards the Catholic Church even though he knew he would get punished for his writings. Rousseau was a French philosophe who emphasized the idea that all people are equal. Locke was an English writer during the Age of Enlightenment. His mostly focused on the issue of natural rights. Finally, Montesquieu was a French philosophe who came up with idea for having three branches of government. These Enlightenment ideas encouraged people to think for themselves and start to challenge the church and the government's ideas. This …show more content…
In the American Revolution, America revolted against Britain over the issue of “no taxation with representation”. Thomas Jefferson was one of the first Americans to introduce Enlightenment ideas to the Americans. These ideas inspired the Americans to want to claim their natural rights and independence. Jefferson also played a major role in getting help from the French, which is a main reason America won the war. The American Revolution was an inspiration to the people of France and helped spark the French Revolution. The French Revolution was the common people of France revolting against the Monarchy and nobility. According to The History Channel’s, “The French Revolution”, Robespierre emerged as a leader when him and his colleagues spoke at the meeting of the estates general, where they declared themselves a new national assembly. Robespierre, at first opposed to violence, then became the leader of “The Terror”, a period of violent oppression. Robespierre’s own creation, The Terror, ended up being the death of him. Toussaint L’Ouverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution.