Home > Influence Library > The Enlightenment Mini-lesson

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze the ideas behind America’s founding documents
  • Identify the ideas of various Enlightenment thinkers who influenced America’s founders
  • Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government

Overview

The Enlightenment was a period of time, starting around 1715, when people developed new ideas about human existence, including people's basic rights and the purpose of government. When our Founding Fathers created a government for the new United States, they embraced many Enlightenment ideas.

iCivics en español! Student and class materials for this lesson are available in Spanish.

 

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Mini-Lesson
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