The Enlightenment is when popular Christian preachers in the 1700’s preached to their congregation that freedom does not bestow from the English crown but is bestowed from God. They explained to their people that they had free will to choose what they wanted to do in order to be the best they could be for themselves. This included freedom of commerce, freedom of religion, and freedom of press. The Enlightenment gave people courage because of their faith in God to pursue freedom. Benjamin Franklin guided people in politics and people in the religious fashion and got them together. He helped facilitate the continental congress and other countries that would help support us during the revolutionary war. Franklin helped introduce Enlightenment to America through his readings, his writings, and his actions. Benjamin Franklin growing up taught himself through his readings. Him and his brother had a “printing trade” growing up (Reck). Here franklin was able to get his hands on more books and increase his …show more content…
After he began writing letters under a nickname that he had chosen, he wrote an autobiography in attempt to “well equip his country” (Marcum 101). Franklin wanted to make sure that the people knew that the individual was more important than the faith, the country, or the whole. He wanted individuals to understand that they can decide their own way. Franklin, in writing his autobiography and expressing to the people how he felt, “learned from his writing” (Marcum 101). His writings during the Enlightenment helped get across to the country what he believed was right. According to Reck, Franklin, looked at his life like a printer does. His life was either perfect or marked with errors ( ). Franklin knew that his autobiography had errors or as he called them “erratum’s” (Reck). He worked on his writings and critiques them for years. In order to have peaceful relations, he believed free trade and reason served as the main
Franklin was an immigrant from the second generation. His father was the Puritan, the maker of candles, to Boston, Massachusetts, from England the year 1683. Imagine the life of Franklin, in many ways, the impact of the Enlightenment on the talented person. Science itself but it was well familiar with the books of John Locke, Lord Shaftesbury, and Joseph Addison, and other writers of the enlightenment. Learn how to apply them, Franklin logic and reason over his own separation from traditions-in particular the long-standing Protestant tradition-when threatened by suffocating
Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography to help citizens of America, and inform them on his life accomplishments. Franklin wanted to help citizens prosper in their lives just like he did. Franklin gives tips and lays out ways to be a better person throughout his autobiography. The main example of his exigence is the virtues he explains. A few of the virtues Franklin explains are, “ Order- Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. Industry- Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. Tranquility- Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.” Franklin includes these virtues in his autobiography to provide the reader with ways to become a more successful person in life. Franklin wanted to give readers of his autobiography an outline of how to become successful in life through a few quick and easy steps. Olaudah Equiano’s main exigence or purpose for writing his autobiography is to provide the reader with knowledge of slavery. Equiano wanted everyone to know how cruel slavery was, and how unfair and poorly slaves were treated. He did this through telling his story as a slave during late 1700s. Equiano supports his purpose with
Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography is an inspiring tale of his personal, as well as public achievement throughout his life. Franklin’s life embodies the exemplary model of a life composed of discipline, self-reliance and self improvement. From his humble beginnings as an apprentice candle and soap maker in his father’s business to a successful business man, author, philosopher, civil activist, politician scientist, inventor, and diplomat, above all Benjamin Franklin was, and still is, an American Icon and truly a pioneer of the American Dream.
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He would be the tenth out of seventeen kids that his dad, Josiah Franklin, would have. His dad had plans for Benjamin to join the church when he became an adult and was sent to language structure school to get ready. He would exceed expectations in perusing at an extremely youthful age however would find that he couldn't ace math so natural. He would be at the linguistic use school for not as much as a year prior to his dad would deal with not having the capacity to bolster a school instruction for Benjamin and supporting whatever is left of the substantial family. Benjamin would then be sent to another school which would show him essential math and English aptitudes. There, he would outperform whatever remains of class in English while in the end fizzling number juggling once more bringing on his dad to draw him from school together (Becker, 1931). At ten years old Benjamin would be
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was the root of many ideas of the American expansion; it was an era of intellectual ferment and prosperity that brought reasoning and political science over superstition and blind faith. Benjamin Franklin’s contrast in ideas from that of the puritans are a clear indication of morality and how it is being redefined. Enlightenment thinkers such as Franklin addressed acknowledged information and spread new thoughts regarding transparency, investigation and self-exploration that will create a major turning point in western advancement, an age of light replacing the age of the blind.
As a founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin had a profound and noteworthy influence on the early growth of his nation. Franklin was a prestigious author and inventor that grasped the motive to grow the economy to new heights. His autobiography is an accurate representation of his achievements and the intrinsic motivations that made him the man we think of today. Although it is biased because he writes it only through his eyes, the reader can see the differences he made to the well-being of the United States of America throughout his life. Throughout his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin draws a vivid image of the many contributions he made to society through community service events while at the same time staying true to his virtues that guided his character. He changed society through the improvement of education, healthcare, transportation, and numerous other community projects throughout his lifetime.
He was aware of its culture and often looked towards it for influence and knowledge. In fact, when he was beginning out as writer he reads The Spectator, a British newspaper, and as he states, “About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator…I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it” (Franklin 11). Knowing the influence that writing had on Franklin’s life, his English admiration must have as well. A lot of what made Franklin so successful, his writing, his printing style, his connections, his ideas for a library and countless others; were acquired in his trips to England or in his admiration for the work produced in the country. However, no one can truly blame Franklin as England was a well established nation with thousands of years of history and culture, and in comparison to the young Americas, it was a goldmine of art and
At the start of the First Chapter, Franklin claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how one can get through hardships. He meant to show"…the conducing means...which…so well succeeded, my posterity…may find some of them suitable to their own situations." Franklin, B. (1909). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. (New York: P F Collier & Son Company,
Prompt: The Autobiography is the story of Franklin's personal transformation from an immature, self-seeking young man to a philosopher and statesmen who played a major role in the founding of the United States. For his transformation, consider whether Franklin trusts most strongly in the written word or in the Word. Look for uses of figurative language related to the word or Word and evaluate the relationship between the word/Word and the world, and its effect on Franklin's transformation. Be sure to support your thesis with quotes from the text.
Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography to leave a proof of his ideals and to show to his soon his accomplishments. This document is very important in the United States of America and around the world because it is one of the documents that is written to provide a heritage. At the beginning of his autobiography, Franklin talks about the background of his childhood and how he learns to work from his father’s advice and observations and he makes it very specific in his autobiography mentioning the visit whenever he had to see how workers were able to build machines. Likewise, its impact to make him appreciate the work of others and the process to create useful tools for himself.
3. Benjamin Franklin was, according to our text, "the epitome of the Enlightenment." Explain this assertion and use passages from his writing to support your insights. Benjamin Franklin was described as “the Epitome of the Enlightenment, the versatile, practical embodiment of rational man in the eighteenth century” for being a revolutionary affecting social, cultural and political life during the developing days of this country. Franklin’s legacy goes beyond his scientific contributions and inventions which he is so well remembered.
The autobiography of Benjamin franklin starts of by talking about his son William Franklin who at the time was the royal governor of New Jersey. Franklin started to write his autobiography in the summer of 1771 on holiday in London England. While only on holiday for a week, Franklin thought it would be a good time to record his past because his son may wish to know about his life at later date. Benjamin start saying that he had lived a good life and if he had the chance he would go back to erase only the small errors he made in life. He feels by writing down his life, would be the next best things to reliving it. He mentions a thank you to god for allowing him to live an enjoyable life.
Franklin was a man who never stopped learning. A prime example of this would be his view on slavery. At first, he had many slaves, he also was apart of the Slave Trade and would buy and sell his slaves. He degraded the Africans intelligence and saw them as property not people. Later, Benjamin Franklin was enlightened by his experience at an African American school and saw that the children there were just as intellectual as the white children. After this eye-opening experience he became an abolitionist and fought for the African American’s rights.
The story of Franklin as the self-made man begins with him being the first man who rose from poverty to prominence. No one else in American history started out so low and gradually ended up so high. After Franklin no man could claim to be self-made without producing his own unlikely beginnings and becoming a prominent man. His story as a self-made man began with his interest and talents as a writer. In his Autobiography he talks about his path to prosperity “one who would thrill later generations even as they misinterpreted’ ( ). The first page explains that the future generations might take interest in his life in account of having emerged from the state of “affluence and same degree f reputation in the world” (). Franklin the printer and self-made man became a figure of American History..
Douglass writes an actual autobiography, following a chronological order detailing his life. On the other hand, Franklin’s work is not a proper autobiography itself. The first part is a letter addressed to his son William, filled with anecdotes and memories. The second part begins with two letters he received in the early 1780s. In this part he deals with moral perfection and how he plans to arrive to it. It is in the third part that Franklin really begins to write a real narrative, proper of an autobiography