Before The Enlightenment Essay

The Enlightenment is a turning point in European society. It challenged the church and it’s practices. New ideas, beliefs, and discoveries were becoming more common. There were many more philosophers, and other thinkers that helped create a better society for generations to come.

Before the Enlightenment society was centered around the church. The church believed in original sin,this means that when you were born you were born with sin. If you disagreed with the church you could get punished, sometimes life, or even capital punishment . The monarchy used their religion to legitimize their authority. The Catholic Church would use their authority to tell the monarchs what to do, if the monarchs did not do what the church said, they would excommunicate them. If you become excommunicated, you will not be able to receive the sacraments. The purpose is to inspire people to repent and be reconciled. The monarchs also believed in the divine right of kings. The divine right of kings is the belief that you don’t have to tell people what you are doing,you have the right to rule directly from God. People were having a hard life because of the monarch’s decisions. Families were having a
People wanted to speak up and defend their rights. In America, people started to boycott the British and refuse to pay the taxes. American citizens didn’t want the church to tell them what they can’t believe, so they put in the Constitution freedom of religion. They also put freedom of speech in the Constitution because they wanted citizens to be able to voice their thoughts. People wanted to be able to speak their opinion without fear of being punished. The American Revolution was a time where people were tired of the monarchy and the church telling them what to believe and think, and they wouldn’t stop until they get their