How did the age of the enlightenment play a role in independence?

The Enlightenment was a period of time when a rational and scientific approach to life, religious, political, and economic issues promoted a secular view of the world. The Enlightenment espoused a world view of natural law and universal order. The leading figures of the Enlightenment agreed on several principles: the supreme faith in rational man, the need to discover and act upon the universal principles of governing humanity, nature, and society. These men attacked economic and social restraints, intolerance, censorship, and spiritual and dogmatic authority. Benjamin Franklin lived these principles and was a true man of his times.