Thomas Jefferson & the Enlightenment

During the Enlightenment, or the, “Age of Reason,” many intellectuals came together and established a sort of movement during the eighteenth century in Europe. The main objective that was trying to be completed was to present the power of reason to reform society, including also to promote knowledge, sciences, and to go against any sort of superstition that went about. Of those intellectuals that participated in this movement, many of them went on to influence future leaders that would establish an accomplishment or idea that would last forever. One of those people who was heavily influenced by the intellectuals and ideas produced from the Enlightenment was the very important man known to all as Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment and its ideas of reason, impacting future decisions that would go on to shape America today. Although Thomas Jefferson did not directly appear in the time during the Enlightenment, many ideas influenced him and affected his views. Thomas Jefferson believed in the central idea of reason and he actually thought that through reason, an improved society could be built for man. Thomas Jefferson could be described as a man of the Enlightenment easily just by being classically educated and trained in the humanities, not to mention, practical and empirical. During these times Thomas Jefferson’s was probably different to many, but normal too few. A lot of people didn’t jus all of a second accept and become interested in the Enlightenment, but Thomas Jefferson and a select few followed along in his beliefs. Also, the main people who influenced him were Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, and John Locke. He even went as far as to say that those three, “were my trinity of the three greatest men the world had ever produced." Just like Thomas Jefferson was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment, ideas that came from the Enlightenment shaped his future works that he established. During the Enlightenment, since