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How Did Benjamin Franklin Contribute To The Enlightenment

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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

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