Final answer:
Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke inspired the American Founding Fathers, leading to the incorporation of Enlightenment ideals of natural rights, liberty, and government duty to its people into the US Founding Documents. This philosophical influence was pivotal in starting the American Revolution and shaping the country's foundational principles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Enlightenment Era in the eighteenth century brought forth revolutionary ideas concerning human rights and the role of government, which became deeply ingrained in the political and religious discourse of Europe and British North America. Thinkers like John Locke argued for the protection of natural rights and proposed that citizens had the right to change a government that failed to safeguard life, liberty, and property. This new philosophical direction championed ideals of liberty, social contracts, and the notion that governments must serve a duty to the people, and were instrumental in shaping the Founding Documents of the United States - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
These Enlightenment philosophies heavily influenced America's Founding Fathers, including Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, helping ignite the spark of the American Revolution. Paine's 'Common Sense' was particularly effective in disseminating these ideas, connecting the principles of natural rights with practical economic concerns, and illustrating the British government's failure to fulfill its responsibilities to the American colonies. As a result, Enlightenment ideals played a crucial role in the colonies' quest for independence and the subsequent development of American political infrastructure.