HelenaIR.com: How Isaac Newton’s science inspired the American Revolution
Was the scientist Isaac Newton a grandfather of the American Revolution? When Newton published his revolutionary new theories of gravity and motion way back in 1687, I’m sure he didn’t expect it to trigger a political revolution in the American colonies almost 100 years later. However, Newton’s scientific revolution changed the way that people thought about the universe, leading them to question the relationship between people and their rulers, helping to light the fuse to the American Revolution of 1776.
Ever since the Ancient Greeks, scientists and philosophers had dreamed of discovering the mathematical laws that run the universe. But it took the genius of Isaac Newton to really discover those laws. He created a mathematical theory that allows us to predict how things will move under the force of gravity or other forces. Newton used his equations to predict how the Moon goes around the Earth, and how apples fall from trees. He showed that there really are natural laws that rule our universe.
Seeing this amazing success, the philosophers of Newton’s day asked: If there are natural laws for how planets move, shouldn’t there be natural laws for how people should act as well? And if so, what are these natural laws? Perhaps the most important philosopher to consider this question was the Englishman John Locke. Locke carefully studied Isaac Newton’s new theories, and the two men became friends, meeting and writing to each other about a variety of issues.
John Locke believed that these natural laws say that every person has certain basic rights, and he argued passionately for freedom of religion. He wrote that every person has the natural right to defend his “life, health, liberty or possessions.”
Locke was also influenced by how the scientific process demands skepticism and doubt. As scientists, we accept a new theory only if we have strong evidence for it. Until that evidence appears, we have to wait and keep our minds open. As a result, there are lots of questions that science cannot yet answer. Is there life on Mars? What triggered the big bang? Are Earth-like planets common? At this point, we don’t have enough evidence to answer these questions. John Locke argued that because we have so much doubt about so many things, each person should have as much freedom as possible. Because we really don’t know the best way to organize and improve our society, all people should make their own decisions about what they want to do with their own lives.
Locke’s ideas about freedom and natural rights were studied carefully by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and many of the other founding fathers of the United States.
When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he echoed Locke, writing about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The scientific revolution opened up a universe of possibilities. By using reason, logic and skeptical questioning, men like Newton solved mysteries that had puzzled the human race since the beginning. This amazing success inspired the founding fathers to use reason, logic and skepticism on the question of how governments should be organized. It’s not a coincidence that America’s greatest scientist, Benjamin Franklin, was right in the middle of the revolutionary struggle.
Of course, there were many different forces that led to the American Revolution of 1776, social forces, economic forces and political forces. Personally, I think that the scientific revolution was an important factor in the birth of American freedom. Isaac Newton himself served in the English Parliament, and took part in some of the great political struggles of his day, arguing for liberty and freedom. I think Newton would have been very happy to read our bill of rights and to see how freedom and scientific advancement have shaped the United States of America.
Kelly Cline, Ph.D., is associate professor of astronomy and mathematics at Carroll College
