FRtR > Outlines > American Literature > Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820 > The American Enlightment

An Outline of American Literature


by Kathryn VanSpanckeren

Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820: The American Enlightment

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The 18th-century American Enlightenment was a movement marked by an emphasis on rationality rather than tradition, scientific inquiry instead of unquestioning religious dogma, and representative government in place of monarchy. Enlightenment thinkers and writers were devoted to the ideals of justice, liberty, and equality as the natural rights of man.

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