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ben franklin's contributions to america
ben franklin's contributions to america
benjamin franklin contributions to american revolutionary war
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Benjamin Franklin, was an American printer, diplomat, scientist and philosopher who made many contributions to the American Revolution and the newly form Federal Government that followed. Today, he is recognized as one of America’s greatest inventors.
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, a tallow chandler by trade, had 17 children; Benjamin was the 15th child and the 10th son. The Franklin family was very frugal in their spending and modest in their conduct, like most New Englanders at the time. Benjamin Franklin did not attend school for long; soon he was taken from grammar school and would later become an apprentice to his older brother. Nevertheless, Benjamin Franklin tried to abide by certain self-disciplines that would later help him to become the most prominent “self-made” man at the time. I will closely examine how these self-disciplines helped Franklin to become very successful.
Benjamin Franklin came from a poor home and was driven by ambition to reach his success. In part II of his autobiography, he spoke of 13 virtues and hope that he would be able to possess all of them. The names of the virtues were: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. Franklin felt that he did not possess all these virtues and was determine to make them apart of his daily routine. Of the 13 virtues Benjamin Franklin mentioned, I will focus on Temperance, Order, and Frugality.
According to Benjamin Franklin, his father instilled the virtue of being frugal when he was just a boy. (Franklin, 62) Shortly after Ben had set out on task to acquire these virtues he began to realize that he had more faults than he had imagined. (Franklin, 68) However, Franklin found Order to be a lot more demanding.
Benjamin Franklin was a remarkably talented man. He started his life as a printers apprentice, but went much farther then there. He developed things that were far more advanced than the time. Benjamin Franklin's stove for example, for cold winter nights, and bifocal lenses for reading. Franklin tracked storms to help understand the horrible weather endured by the colonies. But gis study of electricity made him mist famous and he was known world wide as the founder of the lightning rod. Not only was Benjamin Franklin helpful in developing ideas for better living, he was also a strong force in developing the new nation of America. Benjamin Franklins political views showed him to be a man who loved freedom and independence. His views towards England gradually changed from like to dislike until he finally
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most profound individuals in American history. He is a Diplomat, Writer, Inventor, a founding father, and holds the title as the “First American.” In 1706 Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is the fifteenth of seventeen children that his father, Josiah Franklin, had. At the age of 8 years old Franklin attended school, here he learned literacy. In spite of his successes in school, he had to drop out at the young age of 10 to assist his father with his business. Franklin did not enjoy working for his father’s business, however he had to work at his father’s shop for about 2 years. Josiah then had Benjamin apprenticed to his little brother, James, who was a printer. James is the founder
He recognized that he had faults just like every other human-being. He started to keep track of certain virtues in order to attain moral perfection. Some of the virtues he paid attention to were temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. Franklin found that it would be more efficient to focus on one virtue at a time rather than all of them at once. Therefore, Franklin made a book to keep track of the virtues. After each day he would mark down the faults he committed in respect to that virtue. Franklin decided to go through each virtue and dedicate a week to each one with strict obedience. Franklin saw this moral perfection progress as satisfying and knew that it would take a while. He was patient and knew that looking back he could see within the books how he improved each week. After a while a book may be clean of any faults. On the other hand, Franklin was surprised by how easily he violated some of the virtues. He claimed that order, which meant “let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time,” gave him the most trouble of all of the virtues. Franklin said that because order caused him so many problems, he started to pay very close attention to it. He relapsed many times and just could not seem to get rid of that fault. He explains that although he
There are many men in American History whose lives helped shape the future of not only this nation, but of the world and one man among them is Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin is known for his inventions, his philosophies, political influence in the American Revolution and his published writings, including his autobiography. Though he is an important man in history, there are some people who say that as a person, Franklin wasn’t someone to be admired. To determine if Franklin is worthy of admiration, many critics review his autobiography and through it, many aspects of his actions and his personality throughout different experiences in his life.
Who was Benjamin Franklin and what accomplishments did he make that affects us today? Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, January 17, 1790. Benjamin Franklin “was the tenth son of soap maker, Josiah Franklin. Benjamin’s mother was Abiah Folger, the second wife of Josiah” (Electric). He became a diplomat, scientist, author and also a philosopher. Benjamin Franklin developed into a great man and became known as one of the founders of the fathers of the Declaration of the Independence; thus known as one of the many accomplishments he made throughout his lifetime. Research, documentaries and an autobiography written by Benjamin Franklin himself detail all his accomplishments. An amazing man, Ben Franklin became to be so far ahead of his time to create the many inventions he developed within his life time. Many historians characterize him as a genius as well as a national icon. One of Benjamin Franklin’s successfully revolutionized the newspaper business and printing trade.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a representation of the new prospect of upward mobility in colonial America during the 18th century and the development of the Age of Reason, which assisted in the conception of the idea of the “American Dream”; a dream that includes fundamentally social ideals such as democracy, equality, and material prosperity. Furthermore, Franklin’s autobiography exemplifies a significant shift in focus from religion to enlightenment and reason. Additionally, there were forces specific to Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia, that played an important role in his perspectives and the changes that occurred within colonial America during the 18th century.
He was never a president of the United States, nor did he lead any army in a battle. He had no talent in public speaking, preferring to write out his thoughts on paper and for them to be read aloud by others. Yet in his day he was certainly one of the most well known celebrities, beloved in both the United States and through most of Europe. He is Benjamin Franklin, and he has become a symbol of American civilization.
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 compose the Declaration of Independence and also participated in the signing of the U.S. Constitution which we hold as the most valuable asset in our governmental system today. Franklin was a role model for all to follow and possessed the kind of leadership characteristics that this country needed to get off the ground. The United States of America would be a much different place with out the impacts that Benjamin Franklin made on our government, society, and mankind.
In Benjamin Franklin’s The Autobiography, he ornately and distinctly portrays each of the characteristics of the enlightenment. First characteristic of enlightenment Franklin presents is perfectibility and progress, a belief that one has the ability to improve and change. Whilst, Franklin was working on his list of virtues to improve himself to accomplish his goals, he came to add the thirteenth virtue as one of his Quaker acquaintance confessed about him, “But a Quaker friend having kindly inform’d me that I was generally thought proud; that my Pride show’d itself frequently in Conversation” (Franklin 530). After being informed, Franklin immediately convinced himself to improve his pride by adding one more virtue in his list “Humility”. In
In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts emphasis on his need to live a virtuous and morally perfect life. Throughout his story, Benjamin Franklin tells his son of his many virtuous acts and momentous achievements, motivating the question as to whether he seeks his own approval more so than the approval of his peers.
Benjamin Franklin is considered to be the most well-known Founding Father, as he helped in writing the Declaration of Independence and the very first Constitution of the United States. Who was he other than a man who fought for colonist’s rights however? He was a brilliant inventor who created many innovating and life changing mechanisms such as the world’s very first almanac, bifocals, and the lightning rod. Although he was never elected the role of President of the United States, he played several other parts, such as the first postmaster general for the colonies in addition to being an ambassador to France. As a young man working for his father’s candle shop, Benjamin Franklin soon made his way up to be one of history’s greatest figures.
“My intentions were to acquire the Habitude of all these virtues, I judg’d it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it one of them at a time, and when I should be master of that, then proceed to another, and so on till I should have gone thro’ the thirteen” (Franklin 93). He believes that if he masters all of these virtues that he will become the perfect individual. If humility is the thirteenth one, than it must be the most important one in his life, or at least a closure to a perfect lifestyle. He made a book in which he allotte...
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most significant figures during the 18th century. The significance of Benjamin Franklin can be observed through his contributions to society. Such contributions include his profession as a printer, the creation of the first subscription library, the creation of Poor Richard’s Almanac, and his experiments with electricity. In addition, Franklin also tried to reconcile the differences between England and America, and when that proved futile, he traveled to France in an attempt to convince the French to support America in their quest for independence from England. At one point in time Benjamin Franklin was the most famous American on the planet.
As a scientist, he experimented vastly with electricity. He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocal glasses during his scientist career. As a writer, he wrote and published Poor Richard’s Almanac for several years. As a statesman, he served as a U.S. postmaster, minister to England and France, and a representative to the Continental Congress, where he assisted in the development of the Constitution. Benjamin Franklin was a multitalented individual whom I feel has contributed the greatest as a statesman.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most influential and famous figures of all time. Ben Franklin if often referred to as the "self-made man," and his philosophies and principles in the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Louis P. Masur, has served as a self-help book for millions around the world. Franklin's Autobiography is a prime example of the American dream, a rag to riches story that has inspired many people to think of themselves and the community in a different light. Franklin's moral and social philosophies are packed deeply into his Autobiography. Franklin believed that improving ones self was the key to success. Self-improvement, self-education, and self-discipline are the main factors of a self-made man. Improving yourself will ultimately improve the society as a whole. Franklin speaks of principality and inclination. His idea was to produce the principle man with the awareness of man's natural inclination. Throughout the text Franklin provides examples from his own life that contradicts his moral and social philosophies. These contradictions are mostly caused by natural inclinations. Franklin uses these contradictions to educate people to be aware of their natural inclinations and to try and overcome them. Franklin's realizes that improving oneself is a road with many imperfections. Not even the "self-made man" was completely perfect.