The document discusses the major intellectual, religious, and political changes during the Enlightenment period that influenced the development of an American national character separate from England. Key developments included the rise of rationalism over superstition during the Scientific Revolution, Benjamin Franklin's prominent role in the Enlightenment, John Locke's philosophy of natural rights and consent of the governed, the Great Awakening and proliferation of new Protestant denominations, and colonists developing a mindset of questioning authority that would later be directed at the British government.