American literature: THE ENLIGTHENMENT - Essay Example

Kavitha Yarlagadda January 20, 2007 The Enlightment The 18th century was the period of revolution in America and France, which saw liberalism, freedom from restraint, people experimented in science, this period saw the increase in rational religion known as deism, scientific interest, increase in patriotism and materialism.Annis Boudinot Stockton’s poems, were mostly related to issues of sentiment, emotions and patriotism, most of her poems which remained unpublished, give a glimpse of the historical moment in the 18th century .

Stockton was a woman who had money and a social standing, but had no political power, writing in years that blended courtesy with revolution and social simplicity with disorder. This was the period when elegant and clever verses, were very fashionable in England, her verses could seem smug at one moment and far-reaching in the next. As one goes through Stockton’s verses, one cannot help but notice the values she establishes and the understated way in which she develops her individuality. Stockton was an avid reader and an intelligent poet; she was able to maintain a fine balance between intelligence and emotions through her poetry.

Thomas Jefferson was well-educated and studied law. He had a wide knowledge of English history and political philosophy. Jefferson was a person of strong ideologies, he stressed that all men were equal and laid emphasis on natural rights, including right for migration, and was against the authority of parliament over the colonies, laid emphasis on ties only with the king. Jefferson wrote the ‘Declaration of Independence’, which was considered as a radical document, which had a great impact on the people of America.

Most of Jefferson’s ideologies were reflected in the Declaration, his stress on the importance of the freedom of religion. This was the main idea for the beginning of the republican society to work, through division of church and state. This was the main cause for the many splits in the many faiths in the colonies. It took a long time to split the church from the state because of the old fundamentals set by England. Jefferson set the movement for freedom in this declaration to give everyone a fair chance to be “whomever they wanted to be regardless of race, creed or religion” (Zinn p.77).Franklin was a great man with amazing accomplishments as founding father, framer, statesman, ambassador, scientist, dreamer, author and source of simple wisdom; he was a man with a strict sense of values.

Franklin discarded the values of the past to create a new structure, which was based on individual and ethical action. He was a good capitalist and inventor, with reasonable investment wisdom; the perfect 18th century man. The investment ideas, are similar to Franklins ideas about savings, set forward largely in his classic Way to Wealth. The ideology of Dr. Franklins 18th century description of entrepreneurship is extremely inspirational. Franklin was also an inventor. His goal was to improve the communitys quality of life, The Way to Wealth, first published in 1757.

He stressed the importance of saving and getting, the importance of time and money. Franklin made people realize their individual responsibilities to themselves as well as the state. Franklin succeeded in establishing the "character of Integrity" that gave him so much power with his citizens in the fight for American independence. The people of this generation should be proud of his dedication to the communal interest. He never used his talents for his personal gains; he was more bent on serving the community.

Every individual should try to follow the ideologies of Franklin.References“Annis Boudinot Stockton”, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 19 January, 2007, .“Biography of Thomas Jefferson”, From revolution to Reconstruction, 19 January, 2007.Zinn, Howard, The Declarations of Independence: Cross Examining American Ideology, Harper Trade, September 1991“A Brief analysis of the Declaration of Independence”, 19 January, 2007.John C Bogle, “Capitalism, Entrepreneurship, and Investing,:The 18th vs.

the 21st” Century, Bogle Financial Markets Research Center, 20 January, 2007. Benjamin Franklin, "The Way to Wealth", American Literature Research and Analysis19 January, 2007, . The New Jersey Historical Society, 19 January, 2007.