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Europe’s Age of Enlightenment
& the Criminal/Sinner in America The era that begins with the establishment of Virginia and culminates with America’s declaration of its independence from Britain is a period of great change. In England the struggle between the monarchy and Parliament continues and intensifies. Between 1629 and 1640 King Charles I rules without Parliament altogether. The power struggle eventually results in civil war and the execution of the rebellious king. England becomes a commonwealth governed by the Parliament. Even after a monarch is reinstated in 1660, the crown no longer has as much influence as before. The major intellectual movement of the era, the Enlightenment, has a profound effect on criminal justice. Using reason to search for the truth, Enlightenment thinkers formulate new ideas about human behavior and crime prevention. By the early 1770s, classical criminological theory and the parliamentary method of government have fully developed. Meanwhile, the colonies, which began as small settlements, reach a population of about three million. The primarily agricultural economy evolves to include vibrant commercial elements. It is a harsh environment, though. To survive, the colonists organize themselves into tightly knit, highly structured communities in which the Bible is law, and crime is perceived as sin. Religion provides the basis for understanding why people commit crime and how criminals should be punished. Slavery is particular to the colonies; it is neither present in England nor dealt with by the English legal system. This profoundly affects the development of criminal justice in the New World. |