How Did Benjamin Franklin Contribute To The Enlightenment

There were many people that helped contribute to the Enlightenment, but the most prominent American leader was a well-know political figure named Benjamin Franklin. The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, was period of time when people tried to justify life in terms of scientific theory and rationalism. “The Enlightenment was responsible for inspiring revived interests in education, science, and literature” (“HistoryKing.com”). It also emphasized progression away from traditional customs and foundations

Benjamin Franklin is quoted saying “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”(Franklin) This quote is in regards to the British government that were giving the American Colonists no say in their freedom. There was a compromise of liberty in turn for safety that the colonists were giving up. Franklin saw this as foolish and consequently uttered this quote in the rebellion of the Crown. He was a strong believer in fighting for rights and freedom; eventually, he helped in writing the Declaration of Independence tearing America from the King.

In the same way, in Franklin’s 1725 work of writing, A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, he admitted that he would have liked to be a philosopher, but he knew that he never fully would be. Through this, he showed his outlook on philosophy and ways to embody and contribute to society without making it a career. For example, Franklin’s scientific innovations set a platform that inspired others in the future. Franklin’s writing impacted the era of the Enlightenment in a way no other writer had done because he stated his philosophies with humor but also with meaning (Kennedy). As Wilson stated, Franklin was a, “...symbol and source of inspiration for the philosophers, and one of the most widely admired foreigners in

The movement of the Enlightenment period and the Great Awakening period had a profound impact on American colonial society. As a result, the Enlightenment movement and the Great Awakening movement challenged and changed religious, secular, and education ideologies that ushered in a new era in American colonial society while giving birth to a social and religious renaissance in the American colonies. The Enlightenment movement was a social movement that placed a highly valuable emphasis on one’s capacity for reasoning, and regarded it as the pinnacle of human success. Significantly, the Enlightenment movement instigated both harmony and resistance amongst the religious community; thus, giving rise to prominent religious leaders and spiritual thinkers who espoused their views on the subject. Notably, the most famous Enlightenment thinkers were Benjamin franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine.

In 1765 Benjamin Franklin began to lead the way to the American Revolution. In previous years he was a defender of British Parliament, but he saw the treatment of the colonists caused him and many others to change their beliefs. The revolution was long in the making, and by 1775 the relationship between England and America can be described as poisoned and tense. The colonists viewed themselves no longer as part of the British Empire, but an independent nation. They were no longer the Englishmen who sailed the Mayflower to The New World in 1620, they had evolved into Americans.

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.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most successful founding fathers of our nation and helped establish American independence from Great Britain. He was a key member in the development of the political backbone that has shaped this country into what it is today. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most humble and inspirational figures of that time. He was a major factor in the outcome of the war of Independence and in his selfless actions of leaving his family, won the help from the French to assist America in the fight against England. Although Benjamin Franklin never made it to be president he was a leader among his peers. He invented many things that we still use today such as the library, bifocals, and the postal service. He helped

There are many important marks in history, especially all over the world. The Enlightenment thinkers contributed greatly to our world today. Many things would be different today if the Enlightenment and these contributors didn’t succeed. Each thinker, from John Locke, to Mary Wollstonecraft each had different ideas that were a big part of the Enlightenment. I’m going to give the main ideas of these Enlightenment thinkers and more in the following paragraphs.

The Enlightenment of the 1600s and 1700s was a time of lasting change. Philosophers emphasized the use of human reason, natural laws were introduced, and perhaps most importantly – people began to turn away from absolutism and divine right and towards democracy. These ideas would end up having a monumental impact on the future revolutionary leaders in America. Enlightenment thinkers like Thomas Reid and Francis Hutchison had a direct and obvious influence on Thomas Jefferson, the author of our Constitution. Along with the Enlightenment, the Glorious Revolution, English Civil War, and their thinkers were key influences on the American Revolution that helped determine many important features of America then and now.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most celebrated of America’s founding fathers. A man who enjoyed many things and “he had many talents such as a printer a diplomat, a scientist, an inventor, a philosopher, an educator, and a public servant.” (“Benjamin Franklin”) As stated in Britannica, he was born in Boston on January 17, 1706 and died at the age of 84 on April 17, 1790. He was the He was very involved in the American Revolution. What did he do for the American Revolution? Ways that he influenced the War was when he warned the colonists that the French were coming, he stopped the stamp act, and he was a big part of the Declaration of Independence.

Hai Phan Instructor: Geoffrey Saari ENGL2327-41616 March 29, 2018 Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was a self-made and a self-invented man. He could also be considered the quintessential American. His autobiography revealed his attempts to improve his behaviors and his mind.

This research paper was written for the Advanced Placement United States History class taught by Mr. Roger Brady. It focuses on the rise of the ideas of the Enlightenment and how these ideas were relevant in the American Revolution, and the creation of the modern American Society. It also provides a throughout explanation of what is the Enlightenment, who are its main exponents, and how the ideas of the Enlightenment spread. Lastly, it also depicts how the colonists were mistreated and mocked by the British Empire before the ideas of the

When reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, Benjamin Franklin said something that really stood out to me that I wanted to share with you. The first thing he said was “You may delay, but time will not” (Franklin). When I read this the first thing that came to mine was when you think of an invention and there isn’t another invention out there that just like your invention. If you put it off time will not wait on you and someone else might think of the invention and roll it out before you do. The next thing he said was “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” (Franklin). What I think he means is that when you go to bed early your body is able to get the necessary sleep it needs to function in the morning. Another

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 one of the first and most famous scientists in America. He was a man of many talents and interests. Franklin was always curios about they way things work, and he always tried to find ways to make them work better. Even though he started out as a published, he was always interested in science. However this interest soon became a passion to Franklin. He even retired from his publishing business to work in a laboratory with his mostly homemade equipment. Throughout his life Benjamin Franklin made many important discoveries and theories which greatly influenced future scientists and inventors.