It was the Renaissance contributed to upsurge in reading and writing.
Because if people believed the scientist the pope would not have control of the people.
After the Revolution, the slavery continued because the Founders had a difficulty on which one to prioritize. Their priority during that time was to break free from the British rule and to begin to work as a new nation. Slavery only ended up during the thirteenth amendment of the Constitution in the year 1835.
The authors of the Declaration of Independence were mostly influenced by John Locke and other English theorists, which were all part of what is called The British Liberalism. This political doctrine focused on protecting and enhancing individual freedom. They believed in the idea of social vontract in which government is a "necessary evil" to protect individuals from harm of others. The also recognised the government itself could be a threat to liberty, so their job was to make sure that doesn't happen. How? By devicing a system in which lwas, judges and police protect individual liberty.
The Declaration was also influenced by classical Republicanism based on ancient Greek and Rome(which prevented governmet power from getting out of control by vote) and christianity.
