Age of Reasoncirca 1750-1800

aka American Enlightenment

aka Era of Revolution

Definition: Age of Reason

• “Faith in the reality of the world as revealed to the senses, distrust of the mysterious, confidence in the attainment of progress by education and humanitarianism, and the assurance that an appeal to reason would provide solutions for all human problems, including those of the society and the state” (Perkins 163).

aka The Enlightenment • Ideas spread from European

Enlightenment stemming from Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton

• As man perceived a greater future for himself on earth, he became less concerned with preparation for eternity and less moved by religious arguments based on acceptance and faith

Newton

•Sir Isaac Newton compared God to a clockmaker who created the universe (a perfect mechanism) and left His creation to run on its own.

Enlightenment in America

• In America, a practical approach to social matters and science already existed.

• American pragmatism existed in an interest in social welfare, willingness to experiment (no matter what authorities said)

• Took common sense ideas from European thinkers

Movement from Original Sin

• New thought embraced man as capable of infinite perfectibility and as a creature whose good or evil traits resulted from environmental conditions

• Traits didn’t come from Adam and Eve or Divine Grace

Common Philosophical Beliefs

• Reason over faith

• Reason and science can further human progress

• People are by nature good

Deism

• Ideas about God were based on reason• Humanity is inherently good• Every individual can be perfected through

reason • God’s goal for His creatures is to be happy• Best form of worship is to do good for

others• Found in ideas of Ben Franklin, Thomas

Paine, Thomas Jefferson

American Literature in Age of Reason

• Rooted in reality rather than imagination

• Concentrated on social, political, scientific improvements

• Intended to serve practical ends

• Logically argued and organized

• Pamphlets were popular (for political purposes)

• Poetry (unoriginal, followed British models)

Literature cont.

• Best known work from the era is Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography.

• It is a personal narrative that tells his rags to riches story.

• First section written at 65 (1771), addresses his son as letter of fatherly advice.

Franklin continued

• Friends advised him to add more

• Most famous is his section for self-improvement

• Americans didn’t receive literary recognition until the Romantic era

Schoolhouse Rock!

• http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1740

• Schoolhouse Rock

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTY0V8GaeFI&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl813PZTpY8