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How Did The Enlightenment Ideas That Affect Colonial America

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A) During the revolutionary era, Enlightenment ideals such as political, economic, and religious freedom, protection of rights and property, and individual responsibility and natural rights greatly influenced the new nation's government. These ideas began to affect American culture, such as women's roles, family roles, education, and religion. One of the primary changes resulted from social structures. Family members usually had specific roles during the colonial era. Fathers were revered and were considered the heads of their household and the custom of primogeniture was present, which meant that a family's firstborn son inherited the family's wealth. Furthermore, women had subordinate roles in society during the colonial era. …show more content…
Sentimentalism began to affect ideas about marriage in the early 1800s. More marriages were founded on romantic ideas, and arranged marriages became less common. Husbands still controlled property, and wives still played a subservient role. Courts also began to grant divorces, although this was rare. Many Americans embraced the idea of "republican motherhood." This ideal placed an emphasis (special focus on something) on encouraging women to teach republican values to their children. People argued that women could shape America's moral and intellectual character, and they dismissed public roles for women, such as voting or serving on juries. Additionally, educational customs differed throughout the colonies. In New England colonies, Puritans established the first public schools in 1642 and schools often emphasized education. In the Middle colonies, different groups of colonists created their own schools, and Quakers established public schools in the region. Finally, the Southern colonies had few children with a formal education due to agricultural work, but the wealthy sons had more access to formal schooling. New colleges and universities were founded in the 1600s and 1700s. They were usually founded by religious groups

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