Europeans needed spices because otherwise their food would taste rancid and gross. In a pre-refrigeration age, the only way to choke down spoiled meat would be to load it with plenty of cardamom or cloves.
Answer:The time was ripe for the philosophes, scholars who promoted democracy and justice through discussions of individual liberty and equality. The ideas of 18th-century philosophes inspired the Founding Fathers to revolt against what they perceived as unfair British taxation.
