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 * The Enlightenment**

In 1690, John Locke stated, “To understand political power aright, and derive it from its original, we must consider what estate all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of Nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man.” Its thoughts such as these are what jump started the revolutionary era.

Enlightenment ideals were expressed through the arts and literature. Some of these ideals are human autonomy, enlightenment is universal, and the ideal of popular government. Human autonomy is to be self driven, use their own reason rather than be told how to think by the church or the state. All human beings possess the ability to be enlightened. In other words, humans are equal by nature. All humans are apart of a universal community. The ideal of popular government;people are capable of ruling themselves. The elite class is not the only class that deserved to rule. The middle class should also play apart in politics. All of these ideals were expressed through things such as Mozart criticizing a singer for having a old singing style. Or through paintings such as //The Shepherdess// and //The Fisherwoman.//

The Enlightenment ideals showed the people that the aristocracy wasn’t as elite as they thought it was. The ideals were so unique and new that they took off and were spread by trade and conversation. The ideals started in the America’s Madison, Adams, and Jefferson. But they really took off when the British colonists got very unhappy with the King and the government and declared independence.

Cultural attitudes changed a lot in this time. One of them was the first time ever that women’s rights had been considered. With statements from Mary Wollstonecraft, like, “Speak to them the language of truth and soberness and away with the lullaby strains of condescending endearment. Another one was the people thinking that the higher-ups thought they were so much better than the people, they belittled them. A good example of this is a painting called //The Bench// by William Hogarth.

I think the Enlightenment was a huge part in why America is the way it is today because all of these ideals are pretty much the basis of our government. Without the ideal of people governing people we may have not been able to pick our own president.