Thread: History - enlightenment/great awakening?

if you were a colonist in new england which would play a better role in life... Enlightenment or Great Awakening? Why?

I assume you mean Enlightenment meaning the faith in human reason and Great Awakening meaning religious revival as both of these terms apply to eras in European colonial history. For me, I would have to say that even though Jud-eo Christian values in colonial America brought about some of the best concepts in law and civility, Enlightenment concepts played a more crucial role in actually developing the ideas of self determination that govern much of what we see today in America. So I would have to say, short answer- Enlightenment because looking back, it led to a more structured governmental system that allowed for many types of freedoms.

Enlightenment probably, we studied both in my history class last year and while the Great Awakening plays a major roll, the Enlightenment has more aspects that appeal to me personally, though being a colonist, it would probably depend in what type of person my family made me up to be and all.

enlightenment because if you were lucky enough to have a royal despot as your current leader (a ruler who liked the ideas of the enlightenment) they may exercise new ideas such as freedom of speech (voltaire) and natural born rights (John Locke)

Then again, I don't really remember what the Great Awakening was so...yeah hope I helped thought.