Well, last episode we surveyed the 13 original colonies, as they were at the start of the 1700’s.  And as I mentioned, a lot happens in the 1700’s.  And as I mentioned 2 episodes ago, one of the things that was happening at this time in Europe was the Enlightenment, which was in full swing by the 1700’s.  

Anyway, the Enlightenment had a unique expression in America.  The Enlightenment had a big effect in Europe, but its expression in the colonies was different.  Like I said last episode, the group of people who had migrated to the American colonies was a fairly well-educated group to begin with - the first generation was usually someone who had been educated in England, and had been strongly influenced by both Reformation and Enlightenment thinking.  The ideas of the Reformation and the Enlightenment, especially the idea of liberty of conscience, were part of reasons why people emigrated to the Americas in the first place.

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