Most settlers came to America to obtain land and political rights, although many first had to give up almost all of their freedoms as servants under contract to obtain passage overseas. When England began to oppress the rights promised to the colonists, Americans began to formulate an independent identity based on Enlightenment ideals. When England tightened its control over American rights, colonists began to actively protest British rule. Eventually, American colonists adopted the ideals of the Enlightenment and began to understand the need for revolution to protect their rights. The ideals of the Enlightenment emphasized the rights of the individual, which strengthened an independent American identity and caused American colonists to oppose the British monarchy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Many settlers came to America as indentured servants, seeking an opportunity to become landowners and gain political rights. Indentured servitude was a contract requiring a man or woman to serve a family for a certain number of years, usually 3 to 7 years, in exchange for passage overseas. The life of an indentured servant was filled with hardship and misery, this line from a popular ballad, about a young woman describing her life as an indentured servant in America, describes how many indentured servants felt: "A thousand woes in no longer, I live here, in the land of Virginny, oh; In misery, I spend my time endlessly. » Despite the hardships and poor quality of life that an indentured servant faced, many men and women came to America under this indenture with the desire to exchange the constraints of Europe for opportunities in America . These men and women were willing to risk death and years of hard labor to obtain land, which would give them political rights. The possibility of achieving higher social and political status and the right to self-government were very attractive to those in England who were stuck at the bottom of the social ladder. Therefore, after the Civil War in England, when the British attempted to remove America's freedoms, the colonists began to seek a new, independent identity. Enlightenment ideals provided a basis for Americans to begin to formulate an independent identity away from Britain. In the 17th century, a movement began in France and Britain known as the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement that emphasized reason and logic to discover universal truths. John Locke, an English philosopher, argued that governments must protect the individual's right to pursue life, liberty, and property. Locke also asserted that all men were created equal, therefore, "no one can be excluded from this state and subjected to the political power of another without his own consent." Throughout the colonial period, American colonists considered themselves British, they were loyal to the British monarchy and believed it to be the embodiment of freedom. The Enlightenment initially reinforced this view, but Americans soon realized that England had begun to strangle their freedoms, and Enlightenment ideals began to shape their views in new ways. American colonists begin to consider the possibility of challenging the sovereignty of the monarchy. When England.