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Pauleane McAllister

Dr. Kimberly Lark

History 151
28 March 2017
Samuel Johnson and the Enlightenment Period
Samuel Johnson was a very prominent figure in his day. He was known for his honest

opinions about important people and events. Additionally, the Enlightenment was multifaceted

and played a great role in the overall health of the society. One element in question is the

relationship between Samuel Johnson and the Enlightenment.

Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield Staffordshire on September 18, 1709. He was

intiated into the Christian Church fairly quickly. It was even recorded in the St. Mary's Parish

record (Boswell 5). He learned to read and write from his mother. Later this strong upbringing

would contribute to him being known for his sharp opinions of others, politics, and literature

(The World Book.) He had multiple roles he was an English poet,, critic, lexicographer, Essayist,

Editor, Travel writer, Dramatist, and a novelist. This might have stemmed from his foundation

from Oxford University in 1728-1729. He started off attending there and eventually left because

he ran out of money. As a consequence when he moved to London in 1737 he barely had any

money. He eventually made it into Harvard where he received his master's (Duchan.) Later in

life he began to write. Ultimately that led to many of his famous writings. One of those famous

writings was a poem The Vanity of Human Wishes. Later on, when the British government

passed the Stamp of 1765 Adams became angered that the king would tax the colony and not

think about offering anyone representation. Consequently, he organized protests against the king

and the taxes. He began to form a group of patriots called the Sons of Liberty. Shortly after in his

political career, he was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly in 1765. He helped organize the
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Stamp Act Congress who planned on responding to the Stamp Act Uniformly ("Samuel

Adams".)

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment was

an intellectual movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century.

Enlightenment can be used synonymous with and was centered on ideals like liberty, progress,

tolerance, also the primary source of authority and the idea of legitimacy ("Enlightenment".)

Eventually this movement did put these elements in place along with constitutional governments

and separation of church and state. It is also in the process instigated revolutionary developments

in art, philosophy, and politics central to Enlightenment. One big component of this movement

was the celebration of reason. They believed that the idea of reason broken down is the power by

which group of people or humans understand the universe and improve their own conditions.

Samuel Johnson did just that. He led multiple organizations that fought against unjust

regulations that were put into place. He played an integral role during the Enlightenment period.

He channeled his frustrations through his writing and creating structured organizations that were

effective. He was angered at the amount of taxes he had to pay and also at the fact there was no

representation for someone should him or her want to fight it. He was the voice of reason for

people that did not want to speak up and he also put actions into place.

Overall the Enlightenment period was long and filled with some losses and some

victories. Samuel Johnson and the Enlightenment were one in the same. It was through

perseverance that a lot of issues were handled and many people were satisfied. Samuel Johnson

believed in this idea of celebrating reason. Celebrating our right to understand is what is

happening around us and to fight if it not just.

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Works Cited Page

Boswell, James. "Parentage and Early Days." The Life of Samuel Johnson ... James Boswell.

London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1941. 1-7. Print.

Duchan, Judy. "Samuel Johnson." Judy Duchan's Historical Glimpses of Speech Therapy

Practices. A History of Speech- Language Pathology, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

"Enlightenment." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 09 Apr. 2016. Web.

29 Mar. 2017.

"Samuel Adams." Ducksters Educational Site. Samuel Adams Biography, 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 29

Mar. 2017.

"Samuel Johnson." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2012. Print.

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