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A Scientific Understanding of God Two eighteenth century movements, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, changed American colonists’ views on reason and wisdom. The Enlightenment, led by philosophers such as John Locke, emphasized abstract thought to acquire knowledge. The European and American thinkers’ research led to a greater understanding of scientific phenomena and the questioning of the government’s rule. Similar to the Enlightenment, the Great Awakening changed colonists’ mode of thought through the concentration …

…Enlightenment and the Great Awakening mainly produced a new mode of thought for American colonists. Because these two movements were easily accepted throughout society proved the American wish of freedom from corrupt governments and aristocrats. The use of abstract thinking to disprove religious beliefs suggests also a dream of an absence of church independence. Overall, the successful sweep of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening predicted the American colonists’ movements toward revolution and absolute independence.