The 17th Century Puritan Influence on the Writings of...

Common Knowledge: 17th Century Puritan Influence in Common Sense There can be little doubt as to the fact that Thomas Paine was one of the most incisive minds of the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that began in Europe and quickly spread to the surrounding continents including the United States of America, where Paine immigrated to. The embracing of concepts such as Deism and other ideas that favored mans prowess and knowledge over the traditional influence of a divine power during the turn of the 18th century, was a fairly practical source of inspiration, if not justification, for the Founding Fathers in their pursuit of an armed revolution against Britain that would eventually result in the liberation of the colonies and the founding of todays nation. Paine, of course, authored one of the most radical treatises advocating this separation from the British rulers of the colonies when he penned Common Sense, which was essentially a pamphlet widely disseminated amongst colonists beginning in January of 1776. This date would prove to be of im mense importance both for Paines work and the way in which the author wrote it, since it was preceded months before by the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Yet, the most prudent scholars cannot deny that despite the zeitgeist of Paines day (The Enlightenment), there are indisputable influences of the 17th century Puritan religion that wove their way into Common Sense, and proved to be the deciding factor in how the authorShow MoreRelatedPuritan Verse Twenty Century Deist Thinking2525 Words   |  11 PagesArthur P. Romero Instructor: Jonathan Cook ENG 231.190 –American Literature I 22 October 2014 Puritan verse eighteen century deist thinking Throughout history man’s view of God has constantly evolved. During the formation of America this is made evident when the 17th century Puritan idealism is confronted with 18th century Enlightenment. This collision of religious ideas would spark a change, and a new age in America. My research will shows the original American settlers had concepts and, emergingRead MoreEssay on Enlightenment in Colonial Society1244 Words   |  5 PagesEnlightenment in Colonial Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Enlightenment began in the mid to late 17th century; almost every source gives different dates and doesn’t really specify when exactly it started. It consisted as more of a religious revolution, but it also had to do with the emergence of different specialized professions. A major point of the English Enlightenment was that it did not like the idea of a vengeful God, nor did it like the idea that man could only retain so much knowledge and a certainRead MoreConsumer Buying Behaviour of Magazines7993 Words   |  32 Pagesread 32 2. brand magazines do people generally prefer 33 3. contents do you exactly look for into a magazine 34 4. cost range people prefer 35 5. attracts you most towards the magazine 36 6. Who/what influences you the purchase decision 37 7. Rating of magazines on the basis of the following attributes a. Price 38 b. Contents 38 c. Offers 39 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY History of print media industry PrintRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesdecided no longer to print the book, they returned their publishing rights to the original author, Bradley Dowden. The current version has been significantly revised. If you would like to suggest changes to the text, the author would appreciate your writing to him at dowden@csus.edu. iv Praise Comments on the earlier 1993 edition, published by Wadsworth Publishing Company, which is owned by Cengage Learning: There is a great deal of coherence. The chapters build on one another. The organization