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RATIONALISM NOTES (1750-1800) LANGUAGE ARTS 11E – MRS. RAGLOW Moving Forward: The shift from the old Puritan beliefs to modern America I. Puritan Beliefs in Modern Life a. Work Ethic b. Faith i. Although most Americans do not believe that God controls everything in the universe, the foundation of our country’s religious beliefs were laid by the Puritans II. Reasons for the New America: You will find that movements in America tend to grow out of the flaws of the previous movements a. Tired of Repression i. The idea that God controls everything became too repressive to more progressive thinkers ii. Rise of Rationalism: 1. Rationalism – Belief that human beings can arrive at truth by using reason, rather than relying on past authority, on religious institutions, or on intuition 2. Main Players a. Benjamin Franklin – aphorisms and satire b. Sir Isaac Newton – compared God to a master clock maker. Having created the perfect mechanism of the universe, God left his creation to run on its own, like a clock 3. Genre and Style a. Political pamphlets b. Travel writing c. Persuasive writing 4. Age of Reason a. Began in Europe b. Spanned the globe during the 17th and 18th centuries c. Rationalism was the main way of thinking during this time BEFORE Religious fanaticism Church = Truth Witch Trials Theocracies Church and State united III. Events of the Time a. 13 Colonies AFTER Deism—”natural law” Science/Logic/Reason = Truth Rise of philosophers Democracy Separation of Church & State b. c. d. e. f. i. 1st Continental Congress – result of the Boston Massacre – outrage over taxes and loss of jobs ii. Daily paper led to war – sensationalized events going on (strong language) iii. Boston Tea Party – rebels upset that England had taxes on tea (Repealed all BUT tea) – dumped $1 million into harbor iv. Midnight Ride – Paul Revere – “The British are coming!” (He was the one to get credit for this because he was well-known in the community.) HOW did we win this? i. Heart? ii. Broke the rules of war? iii. British were tired? The Revolution i. 45 ships of British to NYC (350 more on the way) ii. 5 ships carry more ammunition than the city iii. British fighting for the king VS. Americans fighting for life iv. Biggest attack on NYC until September 11, 2001 v. 12,000 POWs die in British ships Independence i. Declaration on July 4, 1776 – Independence from Britain is DEATH ii. “Rights from God, NOT a government!” Rebels i. “Frontier” Men – rebel sharpshooters in hiding (not playing by rules) ii. The walk South takes 6 weeks iii. Rebels kill the Indian scouts (about 400) iv. Target British officers next (leave them leaderless) v. Rebels settle in Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) in Winter – leave as skilled killers 1. 14,000 men – 1/5 do not have shoes 2. Washington leads – takes convicts, slaves, etc. and UNITES 3. Smallpox – inoculations take place here (take pus and put into cut – spread slower) vi. Baron von Steuben – responsible for changing warfare – sanitation and army training vii. The Culper Ring - send messages to General George Washington about the activities of the British in New York. The Ring conducted covert operations until after the end of the American Revolutionary War. Its heyday was between 1778 and 1781. It was the precursor of intelligence services such as CIA. (Still use invisible ink) Public did not find out until the 1930s. Daniel Boone – March 1775 i. March through Frontier to become rich ii. Changes American history and literature!