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The autobiography of benjamin franklin essay
The autobiography of benjamin franklin essay
Autobiography of ben franklin
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Throughout the course of the 18th century, New England had undergone a series of political, social, economic, and religious changes that began to shape a new way of life. Those who lived during this time of rapid growth and development succumbed to changes in all aspects of every day life. Through the readings of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin reiterates such changes in New England society throughout his own personal experiences. One of the most significant changes that occurred during 18th century New England included the generational split between those who were of the elder population versus those of a younger generation. New ideas and attitudes that did not stem from traditional Puritan beliefs often caused tension and …show more content…
Franklin discusses that in order to achieve economic success, an individual must understand the true meaning of economic achievement, and the responsibilities it entails in order to achieve fortune and financial prestige. In order to make money, one must be able to save their earnings and make responsible choices with it as well. Franklin states that “Diligence is the Mother of Good-luck….and God gives all Things to Industry” (Franklin 336). If an individual cannot be conscientious of their financial decisions, they will fail in their economic endeavors. Hard work, responsibility, and discipline are few of the many characteristics one must possess. Such qualities become extremely important; especially to those who hope to become successful in New England. With a moneyed economy becoming more and more prevalent in every day life, the desire and competition to succeed grows between those of different socioeconomic statuses. How you lived ultimately determined how much money you made. With the newfound idea of individual growth and prosperity, the desire to make money became more and more anticipated. Not only did Franklin believe that diligence was a key to financial success, but understanding the idea of frugality and thriftiness was just as important. In his essay, he states “You may think …show more content…
People began to move away from the idea of pre-destiny, while ultimately meant that at the moment of conception God would choose if you were going to heaven or hell. Those who fall into this category found it difficult to prove their assurance to God, because a crisis has not occurred in their lives. Despite their abilities to remain serious and moral, they find that there is no way to prove to people that they have been born again. People then began to adapt what is known as the Halfway Covenant, which stated that a child of a church member who is serious and pious can ultimately be a member of the church. Over time, many of the leaders in the Puritan church begin to move away from pre-destination and focus on piety and good will. Franklin, despite being raised in a Puritan home, detached himself from Puritan beliefs at a young age. In his autobiography, he discusses his plan for “attaining moral perfection” (Franklin 146) in which he lists several steps that he must achieve in order to achieve such fulfillment. Unlike the Puritans, Franklin does not put influence on “God”, but rather focuses more on how he can control his life to be the best person he can possibly be. Franklin justifies his life decisions based on logic and reason, even for decisions that go against Puritan ideology. Franklin’s beliefs represent the changing religious ideas that one can achieve
Gordon S. Wood delves into Benjamin Franklin’s philosophical, political, and personal legacies in the biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. The book travels through Franklin’s experiments, his travels in Europe, and his role in the American revolution. The book begins when Franklin retires from business and becomes a gentleman. It was when he became a gentleman, it allowed him to analyze the world around him. “Indeed, he could not drink a cup of tea without wondering why the tea leaves at the bottom gathered in way rather than another,” a quote from Edmund S. Morgan’s book, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin spent a great deal of time in Britain before returning to America. When he returned, he threw himself into the American revolution, which sent him to France. After he accomplished his duties in France, he returned back home to America where he ran for public office.
During the 1600's, many people in the American colonies led very many different lives, some better than others. While life was hard for some groups, other colonists were healthy and happy. Two groups that display such a difference are the colonists of New England and Chesapeake Bay. New Englanders enjoyed a much higher standard of living. This high standard of New England's was due to many factors, including a healthier environment, better family situation, and a high rate of reproduction.
Catechism, also known as religious instruction, schooling or teaching coexists with historic and present educational systems. Generalizing on this dogma is the idea that historically, education had the jurisdiction to incorporate religious values into a curriculum. Secular education was not a question of right or wrong, but more of a when and how. Individuals like Benjamin Harris subconsciously disguised religious works in the form of education. The New England Primer of 1777 is his most relevant and popular creation. Based off the Puritan religion, The New England Primer of 1777 imbedded many unique religious and educational principles into early schooling. A book consisting
Colonial living in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the New World was both diverse and, in many cases, proved deadly through such avenues as disease, Native American attacks, a lack of proper medical treatment, and disastrous weather conditions. Even through all of these hardships, the first colonists persevered, doing their best to see the blessings in their lives and create a better life for their children through all of the uncertainties. Nothing, it seems, in the original colonies was set in stone except for the fact that they never knew what the next day would hold in store. Everything, even small mishaps, had dramatic impacts on the social, economic, and political aspects of their lives. These circumstances, however, were more strongly influenced by geography than class position, unlike what many were used to in England. How population, economics, disease, and climate played into the social conditions of early colonists is truly a story for the ages. Whether people were seeking land, religious freedom, or money and profits, everyone worked to a certain extent just to survive, let alone thrive, in the wilderness that was North America at that time.
In summary, I believe colonial society had changed greatly from Winthrop's days to Franklin's. This is beneficial because we see how society is able to stray from the path of religion and venture onto other ideas that would have otherwise been discouraged. Benjamin Franklin was able to detach himself from traditional religion to expand his ability to experiment with science where as John Winthrop remained narrow minded because of his dedication to his religious beliefs.
While both the people of the New England region and of the Chesapeake region descended from the same English origin, by 1700 both regions had traveled in two diverse directions. Since both of these groups were beset with issues that were unique to their regions and due to their exposure to different circumstances, each was forced to rethink and reconstruct their societies. As a result, the differences in the motivation, geography, and government in the New England and Chesapeake regions caused great divergence in the development of each.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S religious creed held that the best service to God is to be good to man. He leaned to the views of the "Dissenters" of his day, notably Joseph Priestley and Richard Price, who preached a doctrine somewhat like present Unitarianism. A moralist, he taught that man's soul is immortal and that man's conduct in this world will determine his condition in the next; so he made a creed of virtue, based on integrity and good deeds-man must help himself and others.
In the 1600s, the New England colonies were quickly developing because of the Puritans. Many great ideas and ethics were brought to the New World from England in a short amount of time. There was always a sense of order in their society, which was spread throughout the colonies. The importance of unity, education, and money greatly shaped the systematic life of Puritans.
Franklin wrote “Poor Richard’s Almanack” as a service to the American people, hoping to educate them and entice their intellectual cravings. Since it was extremely common for the almanac to be the only publication a person ever purchased, Franklin felt indebted to write as much as he possibly could. This important publication opened the discussion of many important issues people did not previously think about in their daily exchange (Giblin 24). From guidance on friendship to a prediction on the season’s weather, “Poor Richard’s Almanack” was a must-have on every colonists list.
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, who was a tallow chandler, had seventeen children; Benjamin was the fifteenth child and the tenth son. His mother, Abiah Folger, was his father’s second wife. After he went to grammar school from age eight to ten, Benjamin started working at his father’s business. He didn’t like the work very much, however, and so he began to work for a cutler. When he was just thirteen, he became an apprentice to his brother James, who had just returned from England with a new printing press. Benjamin learned the printing trade, but in his spare time he tried to improve his education. In 1721 his brother James Franklin started the New England Courant, and Benjamin, who was fifteen at the time, kept busy in delivering the newspaper during the day and writing articles for it at night. These articles, published anonymously, were widely noticed and even acclaimed for their observations of the current events. Because of its liberal bias, the New England Courant frequently displeased the local colonial authorities. In 1722, because of one of these articles that was considered particularly offensive to the authorities, James Franklin was imprisoned for a month and forbidden to publish his paper, and for a while it appeared under Benjamin’s name.
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.
Even though Franklin notes that he and his family were by no means aristocrats, they did live relatively comfortable. They were comfortable in the sense that even though Benjamin Franklin started working at a very young age, he was still able to go to grammar school at age eight. There he quickly rose to the head of his class, and before long he was sent to a different grammar school to develop his writing and math skills. While he failed at math, he was very good at writing. Although Franklin did not finish his education, he still continued to read and write. Franklin’s father, noticing that he was particularly interested in reading put Benjamin to work for his brother James who was a printer in Boston. At age twelve, Benjamin Franklin signed an indenture to work for his brother for the next eight years.
Benjamin Franklin was a very prominent figure in shaping our nation. Many people look at him as a role model or just as an amazing individual. He had his faults just like every human being had, and he shouldn’t be discredited because of a few minor glitches to his character. As being the only person that had signed The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris, this immediately separates him from all others. One of the things that he wrote about in Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings, was trying to be the ideal person, and even made a list of virtues to live by. His virtues were very important to his lifestyle, and he followed them to a great extent.
During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the newly discovered Americas. England in particular sent out numerous groups to the eastern coast of North America to two regions. These two regions were known as the Chesapeake and the New England areas. Later, in the late 1700's, these two areas would bond to become one nation. Yet from the very beginnings, both had very separate and unique identities. These differences, though very numerous, spurred from one major factor: the very reason the settlers came to the New World. This affected the colonies in literally every way, including economically, socially, and politically.
Houston, Alan. Franklin: The Autobiography and other Writings on Politics, Economics, and Virtue. New York: Cambridge UP, 2008. Print.