In America, the American Renaissance was the period from 1835 to 1880 in which American literature came of age as an expression of a national spirit. Literature became one of the most important historical effects occurring throughout the American Renaissance period. The American Renaissance was also characterized by a renewed national confidence in new ideas and technologies. Politically and economically, this era coincides with the golden age and the new imperialism. At the end of the 18th century, Enlightenment secularism made profound progress in American thought. “…the United States in the 19th century was a nascent republic enveloped in the rational ideas of the Enlightenment. » (Tindall 492) The American Renaissance changed America with the emergence of religion, romanticism, and reformation. The Epidemic of Religion "After the Revolution, many Americans assumed that the United States' mission was to provide the world with a shining example of republican virtue, much as Puritan New England had once presented itself to the world. wandering humanity as an example of an ideal Christian community. (Tindall 492) The combination of widespread religious energy and passionate social idealism brought major reforms and advances in human rights during the first half of the 19th century. Enlightenment rationalism emphasized humanity's essential goodness rather than its wickedness and stimulated a belief in social progress and the assurance of individual perfectibility. It was after the American Revolution that interest in deism increased. In all major cities, “deist societies” were formed, particularly within the student social group. "Through the use of reason, deists believe, people could understand the natural laws that govern... middle of paper... man." America's Gilded Age: An Eyewitness Story. New York: Facts on File, 1992. Print.4. Davis, Sue. American political thought: four hundred years of ideas and ideologies. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. Print.5. Tindall, George Brown and David E. Shi. America, a narrative history. 8th ed. New York: WW Norton &, 2010. Print.6. "American Renaissance". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. November 25, 2011. .7. Johnson Lewis, Jones. “What is Transcendentalism?” The Transcendentalists - including Ralph Waldo Emerson - Henry David Thoreau - Others - Dial Magazine. September 3, 2009. Web. November 26, 2011. .8. “The American Renaissance.” Digital history. Digital history. Internet. November 26. 2011. .