A Look at Destiny: The Influence of the Enlightenment, the Great Awakening and the Frontier Upon the American Revolution

The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, and the frontier were tremendously strong forces in influencing the American Revolution. Acting in concert, these forces made a Revolution inevitable. The Enlightenment directly influenced revolutionary thoughts. Ideas of natural rights, sensibility, and equality stemmed from enlightened thought. The Great Awakening and religious revivals of the mid- eighteenth century brought hope and salvation to the commoner. This evangelical style religion upset the formal churches and institutions and undermined existing church authority. The frontier offered vast, seemingly unlimited resources, a chance for adventurous Americans to survive often harsh journeys and developed a character that is uniquely American.