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The Greatest Man Of The Great American Nation Essay

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Benjamin Franklin and John Quincy Adams – these two mortal men laid the foundation for the great American nation. Since his own lifetime, Benjamin Franklin has been an American icon for success. During his life, many deemed Franklin the greatest man of the new world, and perhaps the best known in the entire world. Today, his portrait centers the American $100 bill. Franklin worked hard for his success and earned the rewards of fame and fortune accordingly. While alive, Franklin lobbied for “indefinite expansion” of the United States, a fight that Adams would take up after Franklin’s death. In his own life, Adams fought for his “continental vision” in which all of North America would become domain of the United States. With the Transcontinental Treaty and his influence on the Monroe Doctrine, Adams began to turn his vision of America into a reality. He and Franklin both pictured a transcontinental United States where the ideals of America could flourish. In essence, Franklin and Adams strived to create an American “Empire for Liberty.” This ideal of liberty would resonate within and permeate the American consciousness, with hopes of ultimately leading to an expansive Nation which holds true its own declaration “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Although 19th century political rhetoric portrays the United States as a land of liberty and

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