Age Of Enlightenment Analysis

Good evening everyone, week three discusses the age of enlightenment. One area that sparks interest is the Declaration of Independence that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the 18th Century. Of course he was influenced by Benjamin Franklin. Agreeing with Benjamin Franklin, he substituted “pursuit of happiness” for “property” in Locke’s schedule of natural rights, so that liberty to pursue the widest possible human ends would be accommodated (Franklin). The issue that comes into play is how will villagers take it, will they accept it or move elsewhere that the Declaration of Independence doesn’t apply. Benjamin Franklin which I would consider the most influence individual relating to the age of enlightenment. With Franklin’s beliefs in science and faith and understanding potential solving any human problems that occur in everyday life. There was a letter which was published in the Pennsylvania Journal called “An American Guesser”. Ben Franklin was the author of the article and also discusses where common sense comes into play. This rather raised than suppressed my curiosity, and having frequently seen the Rattle-Snake, I ran over in my mind every
property by which she was distinguished, not only from other animals, but from those of the same genus or class of animals, endeavoring to fix some meaning to each, not wholly inconsistent with common sense (Franklin, 1775). The article was published when the Colonists and British were at war. Franklin wanted peace and tranquility and the paragraph above which he discussed the “pursuit of happiness” Thomas Paine is the last one to discuss for part one.
One of his best write ups was “Age of Reason”. This story works hand to hand with Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklins “An American Guesser”. When everything adds up, it creates that actual foundation creating a world full of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Common sense relates to reasoning but this section from Paine would make this understandable. The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall. (Paine). Instead of using weapons to solve problems, using reason to deal with situations can help get out of worse situations. Utilizing reason where both parties understanding show great levels of respect, in which helps create stabilization amongst
civilization. Now with Olaudah Equaino’s experience as a slave to me it was something that should be discussed more often because of the long within schools. Well back to this, So one of the quotes I have chosen for Olaudah starts off with; “All the nations and people I had hitherto passed through resembled our own in their manners, customs, and language: but I came at length to a country, the inhabitants of which differed from us in all those particulars” (Equaino) . Being in different countries vary when it comes to slavery and in which hiding slaves made this the best option for slave masters. With Phillis Wheatley, her story didn’t have a lot to go off with but in a shorter and condensed version. “This consideration should serve to allay that ungenerous contempt, which is still but too commonly entertained, unworthy as it is of a liberal mind, towards a class of our fellow men whose chief fault it seems to be, that they have been made, in their ignorance and heathenism, the victims of the avarice of the civilized world” (Wheatley). In simple terms, thinking that two races were two completely different human beings. In all reality it’s not because we all have the same body parts but different color.