Because it emphasized human reason, the Enlightenment led to the establishment of colleges and libraries in Europe and America. These institutions usually served a tiny elite, but newspapers and pamphlets made science and literature available to the masses.
What was striking is that some African Americans, whose advantages were far more limited, also became scientists and authors.
Most African Americans who gained intellectual distinction during the late eighteenth century owned more to the Great Awakening than to the Enlightenment. The best known of these is Jupiter Hammon, a Long Island slave who published religious poetry in the 1760s. But Phillis Wheatley and Benjamin Banneker, who were directly influenced by the Enlightenment, became the most famous black intellectuals of their time.
African Americans contributed to the Enlightenment through their writings, activism, and intellectual thought. Figures like Olaudah Equiano, Phillis Wheatley, and Benjamin Banneker challenged prevailing ideas about race, equality, and freedom. Their contributions helped to expand the principles of liberty and human rights that were central to the Enlightenment.
Thomas Hobbes, although not a central figure in the Enlightenment, laid the groundwork for later Enlightenment thinkers by his emphasis on the role of reason in understanding and improving society. His idea of a social contract and the role of government as a protector of individual rights influenced later Enlightenment philosophers in their quest for political and social reform.
John Locke's contributions to Enlightenment thought were significant. He emphasized the importance of reason, individual rights, and the social contract theory. His ideas influenced later Enlightenment thinkers and helped shape democratic principles found in modern political systems.
Catherine the Great contributed to Enlightenment ideas by promoting education and culture, implementing legal reforms, and fostering the arts and sciences in Russia. She corresponded with Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and supported religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and the betterment of her subjects' lives through reforms.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau contributed to the Enlightenment by promoting the idea of individual freedom and the social contract theory. His work, "The Social Contract," influenced political thought and the concept of popular sovereignty. Rousseau's ideas on equality and the general will helped shape discussions on democracy and human rights during the Enlightenment.
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, writer, and encyclopedist who played a significant role in the Enlightenment. He is best known for editing and contributing to the "Encyclopédie," a comprehensive compilation of knowledge that aimed to promote critical thinking and education. Diderot's work helped spread Enlightenment ideas and challenge traditional authority, contributing to the era's intellectual and cultural transformation.
African Americans provided their services. They provided a lot of things
African Americans brought okra or in African "gumbo". also yams and rice.
African Americans fought in the US Civil War, and they spoke out against slavery.
big boobies led to problems working in the field.
The role of African Americans in the movement towards westward expansion has been attention on the lives and contributions of these often forgotten pioneer.
the african american woman contribute givin canons to goerge Washington to win american revolution in the battle bunkerhill.
By achieving attention being drawn to equality -for all.
kelly miller was famous because he fought for African Americans
The World War 1 did contribute to the immigration of the African Americans to the US because they were used as soldiers and back up.
John Hanson contributed to African Americans by fighting to relocate black Americans in Liberia. He also served as one of the first black senators in Grand Bassa County.
African Americans contributed as soldiers and they also joined the NAVY.
Financial growth, urbanization (later years)