The Puritan and Enlightenment Elements in the Mindset of Main Ideologists of American Revolution

Özet

For years, there have been different views regarding the nature of ideology preceding the American Revolution: one of those asserted that Puritanism was the main ideological
source pre-conditioning the Revolution, while another stated that it was religion-neutral Enlightenment, which prepared minds of people for the great changes. Both of these ideas
were in different ways reflected in the mindset of leading intellectuals of colonial America, who played the crucial role in preparation of national American consciousness. The article
sets its task to discuss which stream – Puritanism or Enlightenment – was more important for these intellectuals and public figures in shaping collective pre-revolutionary American
consciousness. Or, was it that both of these elements had equal share in the success of the objective they had set.
Keywords: American Revolution, Enlightenment, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, Puritanism