Alyse Spencer July 5, 2008 Unknown Period Insight Paper Enlightenment The Period that Shaped America From reading other students information about the period of enlightenment I feel like I learned a lot. This was the only period I myself did not research during the semester. I feel like this was one of the most important literary periods in our countries past because this is what shaped the thoughts of the government leaders of that time. They wanted to differ from the ways of England and the old world and begin to think for themselves. A quote that I found on many peoples resource postings described enlightenment as, “movement marked by rationality rather than tradition, scientific inquiry rather than unquestioning religious dogma, and representative government in place of monarchy” (“Democratic”). These beliefs shaped our country and are what ended up leading the way to key documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Leaders such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson wanted government to be based on the individual and for people to have a say in the way they lived their lives and the rules they had to follow. It was also important to leaders to have a differentiation between church and state in America. From reading my peers reviews I also learned that writers from this period were beginning to appreciate nature and incorporate that into their work. I feel like this period in a way shapes what the American Dream is all about. As a country we wanted individuality, and identity. We wanted to be successful and own our own property and control our own lives. Everyone should be happy and prosperous. In a way I feel like this is when America was a better world than it is today. Although we were a young country, people then were hard working, and determined. That is not seen as much anymore. Being able to read the resource postings of my classmates and commenting on them was helpful because it reassured me that I understood the class appropriately and it gave me a broader perspective on American Literature and how others see it. I think that after this class anyone could go to our class site and learn a great deal about American Literature simply by reading the descriptions we have for our postings. Every period led to another, and eventually led literature to where it is today. Works Cited “Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820.” Outline of American Literature. December 2006. 31 May 2007. < http://usinfo.state.gov/products/ Pubs/oal/lit2.htm >.