Both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening caused colonists to change their views on government, the role of government, and society in general, which ultimately and collectively helped motivate the colonists to revolt against England. The Enlightenment was vital to nearly every aspect of America's founding, which included everything from government, to politics itself, as well as religion. Many of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening shaped our country as a whole in its foundational years, inspiring everything from the American Revolution, to the Constitution, and even electricity and stoves. Without the central ideas and figures of both the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment era, the United States would not be the nation Americans are accustomed to living in today. The Enlightenment (also known as the Age of Reason) is described by scholars as a method of thinking and knowing (“epistemology”) based on the idea that the natural world is actually best understood through careful observation, as well as through dependence by reason. An important note to note is that the Enlightenment added a more secular environment to colonial life, which had always been based on religion. The ideas of the Enlightenment actually originate in 18th century Europe, allowing for the rise of colonial “deists” who often looked for God's design in nature rather than in the Bible, as they did in the past. Many deists began to look to science and reason to divulge the laws and purpose of God. This period of the Enlightenment encouraged people to study the world around them, to think for themselves rather than what others had to say, and to wonder if the chaotic appearance of things masked a sense of order. The......middle of paper......Sugar and Stamp Acts). Before the Enlightenment, colonists angered the English's interference in their new country, but they never thought of rebelling against their homeland. However, with their newfound knowledge of Enlightenment principles such as liberty and reason, many colonists began to view the taxes as unfair. Knowing that political power was in their hands, they opposed the British government by claiming that they were an independent country. Furthermore, as the British government continued to try to interfere with the American government, many colonists began to desire a new government based on Enlightenment principles instead. This led to the American Revolution because the colonists, with their acquired knowledge of the world and society, wanted a government that granted everyone the natural rights provided by law..