Dawn of American Enlightenment Started

¶ … dawn of American enlightenment started with two of American history's greatest intellectuals, Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards. Both of these individuals were ahead of their times and utilized their profound impact on the American colonial period to change the face of the United States. They were the leaders of the American enlightenment era. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, in his lifetime he served as an inventor, publisher, writer, and statesmen and much more, many view him as the consummate perfection of the American Dream. Jonathan Edwards, another savant within the colonial era was a Congregational preacher, theologian and missionary. He is heralded by many scholars as the most important American theologian of his era. The following analysis will look to dissect how they profoundly impacted American enlightenment during this period, and to carefully compare and contrast how these two disparate but profoundly influential individuals both changed the course of American history.

Benjamin Franklin was a strong voice for reason during the colonial era dominated by religious piety and dogmatism. Early in his life, Benjamin Franklin adopted a philosophy of "enlightenment deism." His adopted creed was to life with a virtuous, morally fortified and pragmatic version of deism. Franklin is considered one of the most accomplished individuals in American history, his life accomplishments is the equal of five men, and he was one of the driving forces behind the formulation and ratification of the Constitution (Buxbaum, preface). He was born into a strongly Christian family and at one point aimed to become a preacher, eventually however he chose to go into the publishing industry. As the publisher of the Philadelphia Gazette he utilized the newspaper is a platform for social and political commentary, which allowed him to gain national attention and widespread respect. As an inventor he perfected the lightening rod, the glass harmonica, the Franklin stove, among other numerous inventions (Buxbaum, 48).

His books numbered among the most famous of his generation with his "Poor Richard's Almanac" being the most widely read American literature of the colonial era. Finally, his contributions to the formulation of the United States and his statesmanship as an ambassador in Europe were fundamental to the American victory during the Revolutionary War. Franklin's background reveals his devotion to the concepts of pragmatism and reason; he strongly advocated and dedicated his life to demystifying the world (Buxbaum, 60). He is considered the father of the American enlightenment precisely because he was able to articulate a rhetorical vision for the United States and use reason to conclude the necessary steps towards achieving the American Dream.

At first glance, one would think that Jonathan Edwards would have nothing in common with the charismatic American leader Benjamin Franklin. Edwards was an extremely influential preacher, he was often remembered for his adamant defense of Calvinism and Puritan heritage. His most well-known speech was called "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," which strongly articulated his belief that men are unworthy in the eyes of God (Leon, 45). However, modern historians such as Leon Chai look upon Jonathan Edwards as much more of a philosopher than a theologian. Edwards, like Franklin was born in to a very strong religious family and he was made famous through his own preaching. He was one of the driving forces behind the Great Awakening, a period of strong return to religious fervor brought about as a cause of decreased religious piety in New England region (Leon, 68). Edward's background seems ill suited as an Enlightenment thinker, which would make one believe that there is little similarity between Franklin and Edwards, a closer examination of their religious background reveals some similarities.

Benjamin Franklin termed himself a pragmatic deist. He believes "there is one Supreme must perfect being," however that this being is distant, and that it is not necessary to build a personal relationship with such a supreme God. He concluded that it was useful and correct to believe that a faith in God should inform our daily actions. However, he did not believe in sectarian dogma, burning spirituality or deep soul searching as a part of religion (Lopez, 87). Franklin's religious views are important in the shaping of his Enlightenment philosophy. His approach to religion drew from reason and careful reflection, he did not believe in the "frivolity" of emotional thought and connectivity, but instead focused on the pragmatic understanding of the divine. His conclusion after careful reason formulates a "Supreme Being that can be manifest in various ways, depending on the needs of different worshipers" (Lopez, 88). In contrast to Franklin's deism, Edwards was a strong Calvinist believer who strongly articulated the concept of God's ultimate determination of our fate. He argued against the Arminian position of self-determination in "Freedom of the Will," by explaining that every choice is determined by a previous act of the will and that every action we take and thus all choices we make are fundamentally determined by God. While their religious views differed strongly, Edwards like Franklin recognized the importance of utilizing reason as a mechanism to interpret his religion (Leon, 32). His logical analysis of Calvinism contributes to the understanding of pre-destination as the logical extension of faith. As a result, Edwards applied logic and reason to his religious determinism. Edwards at the same time recognized that "the knowledge of causation is unknowable and that we perceive only ideas not things themselves" (Fiering, 151-152).

Fundamental to the understanding of his philosophy is that as human beings we can only witness "images of things," and not the things themselves. Which contributes to our inability to truly understand the universe? The rhetoric behind Edward's religious views is the same used by Franklin to justify his deism. Both of these figures are Enlightenment thinkers because they apply reason and logic in the determination of their life philosophies. This is articulated through their views on religion.