The [[American Enlightenment]] was a period of intellectual and philosophical fervor in the [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen American colonies]] in the [[1700-01-01 - 1899-12-31|18th to 19th]] century, which led to the [[American Revolution]] and the creation of the [[United States of America|United States of America]]. The [[American Enlightenment]] was influenced by the 17th- and 18th-century [[Age of Enlightenment]] in [[Europe]] and Native American philosophy. According to [[Burns, James MacGregor|James MacGregor Burns]], the spirit of the American Enlightenment was to give Enlightenment ideals a practical, useful form in the life of the nation and its people.