Which answer choice BEST summarizes how the Enlightenment changed over time?
O The Enlightenment began when small groups and secret societies began having meetings to
share their beliefs with one another. Then these ideas began to spread after the publication of
Voltaire's "Philosophical Dictionary" and Diderot's "Encyclopédie." Finally, its ideas were
stamped out by church and government leaders who worried about the unrest they were
causing
O The Enlightenment preceded a number of other important philosophical movements of the
18th and 19th centuries. Then its ideas were reintroduced as a reaction to the emotional
individuality of the Romanticism embraced by many French and American writers. Finally, its
ideas inspired Englishmen such as Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes.
The Enlightenment was preceded by a wealth of writers and thinkers, but was firmly
established as a movement by the works of Newton and Locke. Then its ideas spread
gradually in Europe and North America through dialogues and publications, inspiring
numerous revolutions before being rejected by Romanticism. Finally, it came to be the root of
most modern schools of thought.
The Enlightenment was begun when Thomas Jefferson established its main philosophies in
the Declaration of Independence. Then its ideas were adopted by scientists and philosophers
throughout Europe, leading to conditions in France that sparked the French Revolution.
Finally, its ideas were rejected by writers and thinkers who were tired of war and who
embraced Romanticism.