---
title: "Enlightenment Values — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Enlightenment values are the ideas of reason, natural rights, and self-government that fueled the American Revolution and shaped the Declaration of Independence."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/enlightenment-values"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 3"
---

# Enlightenment Values — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Enlightenment values are intellectual principles, including reason, natural rights, the social contract, and republican self-government, that inspired colonial American political thinkers to challenge hereditary privilege and justify independence from Britain (Topic 3.4, KC-3.2.I).

## What It Is

Enlightenment values are the cluster of 17th- and 18th-century European ideas that American colonists borrowed to rethink government from the ground up. The big ones are reason over tradition, [natural rights](/apush/key-terms/natural-rights "fv-autolink") (life, liberty, property), the social contract (government exists by consent of the governed), and republicanism (rule by elected representatives, not kings). The CED puts it plainly in KC-3.2.I.A. Enlightenment ideas pushed American thinkers to value [individual talent](/apush/unit-3/philosophical-foundations-american-revolution/study-guide/1tqf5yAhHDgdepsUL6GT "fv-autolink") over hereditary privilege. In other words, who you are should matter more than who your father was.

These values didn't stay abstract. KC-3.2.I.B tells you exactly where they landed: Thomas Paine's *Common Sense* and the Declaration of Independence. Both documents argue that legitimate government rests on the natural rights of the people, and both treat monarchy as an outdated arrangement that reason can't defend. [Religion](/apush/unit-1/cultural-interactions-between-europeans-native-americans-africans/study-guide/xKdK0605epqUHu2tUwYM "fv-autolink") worked alongside these ideas too. Colonists' sense of themselves as a people 'blessed with liberty' reinforced the Enlightenment case for self-government rather than competing with it.

## Why It Matters

This term anchors Topic 3.4 (Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution) in [Unit 3](/apush/unit-3 "fv-autolink") and directly supports learning objective [APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink") 3.4.A, which asks you to explain how and why colonial attitudes about government and the individual changed before the Revolution. Enlightenment values ARE the answer to the 'why' part. They're the intellectual fuel that turned colonial grievances about taxes into a full argument for independence. The CED also flags that these ideas 'resonated throughout American history,' which makes this one of the highest-leverage concepts in the course. Abolitionists, suffragists, and civil rights activists all quoted the Declaration's natural-rights language back at the nation. That continuity is exactly what DBQ and LEQ thesis statements are built from, and it sits at the heart of the American and National Identity (NAT) theme.

## Connections

### [Common Sense (Unit 3)](/apush/key-terms/common-sense)

Paine's 1776 pamphlet is Enlightenment values translated into plain English for ordinary colonists. He used reason, not tradition, to argue that monarchy made no sense and that republican government did. The CED names it as a primary expression of these ideas (KC-3.2.I.B).

### [Declaration of Independence (Unit 3)](/apush/key-terms/declaration-of-independence)

Jefferson packed Enlightenment values into one sentence: natural rights, [consent of the governed](/apush/key-terms/consent-of-the-governed "fv-autolink"), and the right to overthrow a government that violates the social contract. If an exam question asks where Enlightenment thought 'found expression,' this document is your evidence.

### [Baron de Montesquieu (Unit 3)](/apush/key-terms/baron-de-montesquieu)

Montesquieu supplied the separation-of-powers blueprint that shows up later in [the Constitution](/apush/unit-3/constitution/study-guide/GFXLutGBoLM4MszJCxWq "fv-autolink"). He's your proof that Enlightenment values shaped not just the break from Britain but the actual structure of the new government.

### [Federalist Papers (Unit 3)](/apush/key-terms/federalist-papers)

[Hamilton](/apush/key-terms/hamilton "fv-autolink"), Madison, and Jay defended the Constitution using Enlightenment reasoning about human nature, checks and balances, and republican government. This connection lets you argue continuity from 1776 to 1788: the same values that justified revolution were used to justify ratification.

## On the AP Exam

Enlightenment values appeared on the 2025 exam in SAQ Q3, so the College Board uses this phrase verbatim, not just in textbooks. In multiple choice, expect a stimulus excerpt from *Common Sense* or the Declaration paired with questions asking you to identify the underlying ideology (natural rights, republicanism) or its source. In SAQs and essays, the move is always cause and effect. You name a specific Enlightenment idea (consent of the governed, separation of powers), tie it to a specific document or thinker, and explain how it changed colonial attitudes toward Britain (APUSH 3.4.A). For long essays and DBQs, the CED's line that these ideas 'resonated throughout American history' is gold. Connecting 1776 natural-rights language to Seneca Falls or abolitionism is a classic continuity argument that scores complexity points.

## Enlightenment values vs The Great Awakening

Both changed colonial thinking before the Revolution, but through opposite channels. The Enlightenment was secular and appealed to reason, logic, and natural rights. The Great Awakening was religious and appealed to emotion and personal salvation. They converged on a similar effect, teaching colonists to question established authority. The CED captures this teamwork in KC-3.2.I.A: Enlightenment ideas emphasized individual talent, while religion strengthened Americans' view of themselves as a people blessed with liberty. If a question asks about reason and philosophers, it's the Enlightenment. If it's about revivals and preachers like George Whitefield, it's the Great Awakening.

## Key Takeaways

- Enlightenment values include natural rights, reason, the social contract, and republican self-government, and they explain why colonial attitudes toward Britain shifted before the Revolution (APUSH 3.4.A).
- Per KC-3.2.I.A, Enlightenment ideas led American thinkers to value individual talent over hereditary privilege, undercutting the logic of monarchy and aristocracy.
- The two CED-named expressions of these values are Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence (KC-3.2.I.B), so use them as your go-to evidence.
- Religion reinforced, not opposed, Enlightenment thinking in the colonies by strengthening Americans' sense of being a people blessed with liberty.
- The CED says these ideas 'resonated throughout American history,' which makes Enlightenment values a top-tier continuity argument linking 1776 to later reform movements like abolition and women's suffrage.
- On the exam, don't just name the values. Connect a specific idea to a specific document or thinker and explain the change it caused.

## FAQs

### What are Enlightenment values in APUSH?

They're the ideas of reason, natural rights, the social contract, and republican government that inspired colonial political thinkers in the years before the American Revolution. They're the core of Topic 3.4 and essential knowledge KC-3.2.I in Unit 3.

### Did Enlightenment values cause the American Revolution by themselves?

No. They provided the justification, but the immediate triggers were British policies like new taxes after the Seven Years' War. Think of Enlightenment values as the 'why independence is legitimate' argument layered on top of concrete grievances like the Stamp Act and Tea Act.

### How are Enlightenment values different from the Great Awakening?

The Enlightenment was secular and based on reason and natural rights; the Great Awakening was a religious revival based on emotion and personal faith. Both encouraged colonists to question authority, and the CED treats them as complementary forces shaping the revolutionary mindset.

### What documents show Enlightenment values?

The CED names two: Thomas Paine's Common Sense (January 1776) and the Declaration of Independence (July 1776). Both argue that government rests on the natural rights and consent of the people, not on monarchy or tradition.

### Is 'Enlightenment values' actually used on the AP exam?

Yes. The 2025 APUSH exam used the phrase in SAQ Q3, and Enlightenment ideas are written directly into the CED at KC-3.2.I.A. You should be able to define the values and connect them to specific documents and effects.

## Related Study Guides

- [3.4 Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution](/apush/unit-3/philosophical-foundations-american-revolution/study-guide/1tqf5yAhHDgdepsUL6GT)

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