This week our attention turns towards an analysis of the different philosophical approaches that British colonists adopted in their effort to create a new world for themselves. Though British colonists began to redefine themselves in the New World, they were still very much attached to the old. The political debates in England were echoed in the writings of the colonists. One of those 17th century debates concerned the meaning of equality.

In a larger sense that debate centered around the privileges of the nobility and the prerogative of Kings. Through the English Civil War and the later Glorious Revolution, parliament was able to define basic English liberties that included freedom of speech. It is somewhat ironic that while the English debated the meaning of liberty in their own country, they limited the liberties of the people they conquered.

The debate itself continued in the philosophical and religious movements of the time, known as the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. It was a battle between science and faith. Now, we could spend the whole term talking about the importance of the Enlightenment. The point to remember is that the Enlightenment was the application of scientific principles to the study of human society. In many ways, this process was quite revolutionary because it questioned traditional values and began to formulate natural laws and rights, even the right to rebellion.