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Benjamin Franklin Characteristics

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We have all heard of the famous Benjamin Franklin. From the many history classes, and conversations in general. Benjamin Franklin is famous for many reasons; for example, he was responsible for publishing the very first political cartoon, the author of Poor Richard’s Almanack, inventing the lightning rod and bifocals, and he was one of five who drafted the Declaration of Independence. These accomplishments are great, but only tell part of the story of the great Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin. In the biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, by Gordon S. Wood, we are educated on the characteristics of his thriving life. He was not always a gentleman, British imperialist, patriot, diplomat, and American. These traits were given …show more content…

Franklin tried to stay out of people’s eyesight but that was very hard for him because he was so famous now. People knew he was back in America, and some people were very much suspicious of Franklin’s return and did not trust him. The Americans and French formed an alliance. “Franklin had not originally wanted a formal alliance with any foreign state, but he now willingly participated in the greatest diplomatic triumph in American history” (p.191). Wood continually shows how Franklin’s feelings changed. Without Franklin around, it was evident that a lot of the things that were happening would not have happened. Franklin was beginning to represent America well and becoming a great …show more content…

Diplomat, and finally American. It was very informative. It is something great to read if you want to learn of his purpose. I think Wood did an excellent job with putting the biography together. Including quotes from Franklin’s autobiography made his work stand out. He also expressed how others felt about Franklin. Wood mentioned a lot of positivity from Franklin’s life, although he mentioned the negative also. For example, he was once a slave holder but later in life before he died, he turned against slavery. He did not just mention a lot of facts about Benjamin Franklin, but he told a different story of him; a story that you will not learn from any other biography or autobiography about him. In conclusion, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, showed how Franklin developed as a person after all the adversity he faced, and the many changes and choices he made throughout his life. In the end Franklin stayed true to himself and America by becoming an

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Americanization Of Benjamin Franklin By Gordon S. Wood Summary

778 Words | 4 Pages

A founding father, scientist, author, inventor, diplomat and "First American" along with many other things Benjamin Franklin was a very well-known man. Gordon S. Wood a professor of History Emeritus at Brown University, and recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for history for the Radicalism of The American Revolution is also the author of "The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. " A book written to describe many events that Franklin took part in or things that happened to him that people may not know of. Although the book is very factual, the substantial vocabulary and lengthiness of the book itself make it very hard to maintain focus. Wood is known for his background in teaching and education of history.

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How Did Wood Contribute To Franklin's Retirement?

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Much of Franklin's retirement was gentlemanly. Wood demonstrates this when explaining Franklin's electrical experiments, public service, and his politics. "By the early 1760s Franklin had become a thoroughgoing imperialist and royalist," Wood concludes (91). Though Franklin admired the British king greatly and reveled in how great the British Empire was. It was around the late 1750s and 1768 in particular that Franklin began struggling for royal government in Pennsylvania, a proprietary colony, that Wood believes Franklin began identifying himself as an Englishman.

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How Did Napoleon Contribute To The Congress

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Also, he was a major leader in this book and always wanted to help others and when he was called to lead the military he did. Benjamin Franklin has played in multiple roles that helped make the world as it is today. I see Benjamin Franklin as a role model to anyone and everyone that wants to lead and work their hardest to make a difference in this world one day and also a role model to those who want to always put the world and others before them. Benjamin Franklin is a great man and a very important founding father of the

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Summary Of Benjamin Franklin Primary Sources

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In his writing a theme that is most prevalent is that of the American dream. Although not coined that yet, as the United States didn’t exist at the time. But right from the beginning Franklin speaks to the fact that he created his success and fortune from nothing but hard work, and intelligence. When describing Franklin’s Autobiography as a primary source, it is important to note that this theme of the American Dream. Most famously from the Declaration of Independence preamble, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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” ( Dec. of Ind. Pre.).

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Benjamin Franklin was an important figure in the history of the United States and

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How Did Benjamin Franklin Contribute To The Formation Of The Constitution

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Another accomplishment of his was the fact that he was part of the Constitutional congress, and he also took over as president of Pennsylvania during the Constitutional convention (American delegates of the Constitutional Convention: Benjamin Franklin 5, 7). He contributed a lot of important things that made our constitution the way it is. He helped draft the constitution, and he is an important figure in American history. In our nation, unity is a major issue because a lot of people regard themselves as inferior and do not take time to see each other’s strengths. The constitution acknowledges all of us as one part of a nation who together can rise to overcome any challenge.

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To What Extent Did Benjamin Franklin Convert To Patriotism

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Although a very loyal man, Benjamin Franklin has been considered both a Loyalist and a Patriot, but he is marked very clearly as a founding father, and as thus, should have primarily been a Patriot during and after the war with England. In this paper I wish to address the following questions. To what extent did Benjamin Franklin convert to Patriotism in the Revolutionary war, and what part did he play in achieving American victory? Was his primary success as a diplomat to France, a member of the Continental Congress, or through his subterfuge and spy ring.

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How Did Benjamin Franklin Impact Society

821 Words | 4 Pages

“Benjamin Franklin lived his life in the spirit of a renaissance man: he was deeply interested in the world around him, and he excelled in several widely differing fields of human endeavor.” (“Home”). Franklin was born in Boston of 1706 where he was raised in a poor family and was unable to have an education for more than two years. At age 12, he was apprenticed by his older brother who worked in a printing business. Benjamin later became successful in the printing business and soon became successful through his inventions as well.

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Benjamin Franklin: An Archetype Of American Identity

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Benjamin Franklin: The Archetypal American Modern American identity revolves around self improvement. Americans seek to improve themselves in all areas of life, be it socially, financially, or physically. Americans accomplish these goals through education and observing the successes of others. Benjamin Franklin, a man who is frequently admired by fellow Americans, embodies many of these qualities and, as such, has become an archetype of success and of what it means to be American. Benjamin Franklin is an archetypal American because of his values of self-improvement, community-mindedness, and frugality.

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Benjamin Franklin's Life And Accomplishments

596 Words | 3 Pages

The importance of Ben Franklin has been told all throughout history, along with the famous $100 bill with his face on it. Drafting the Declaration of Independence, foudning universities and libraries, the post office, shaping policies in the U.S., publishing newspapers, making advances in science, and letting us use bifocals and using lighting for electricity. Even if this man never finished school, he did much reading and experiments that help us out today. The reason why I chose to write about Benjamin Franklin was because he was a very important Founding Father and it’s important for people to learn all about

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Benjamin Franklin: Tragic Hero Or An Archetypal American?

631 Words | 3 Pages

Benjamin Franklin is known to be an “Archetypal American,” because of his beliefs on religion, self-improvement, hard work, and determination; but also his somewhat prideful spirit. Much of modern America is quite similar to Franklin in his actions throughout his lifetime. In his early years, Franklin’s father, Josiah, had a set plan for what he was supposed to do with his life, as a minister. Soon into his education, he found an interest in reading and writing, so he began pursuing a career in printing.

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Themes Of Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin

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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is composed of four different parts that were written at three different periods in Franklin’s life. The first section starts with Franklin addressing his son and it seems as though Franklin is telling his life story so that it may be an example of how he was continuously improving himself. Franklin also makes mention of his religious beliefs and God throughout the book which seems to be a theme throughout the book. Throughout Franklin’s Autobiography there are many themes displayed; self-improvement and religion, seem to stand out as two of the major subjects that Franklin was focused on.

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The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin Rhetorical Analysis

1188 Words | 5 Pages

He talks about things from the “establishment, that which [he] first formed, called the Union Fire Company” (Franklin 82) which was a big deal back then to inventing a new fireplace. He writes about his good deeds because Franklin wants to show what good Americans can do. His son would probably not have care as much, but the general public would care how Americans can prosper. Part three is all about how he prospered, how he lived the ‘American Dream’ Some believe that Benjamin Franklin wrote about his good deeds because he wanted to show Great Britain how great America was. He wanted to show that they could grow and prosper, that the Americans do not need Great Britain to survive, that they are fine by themselves, maybe ever

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Benjamin Franklin's Ethos In Speech In The Convention

518 Words | 3 Pages

Franklin claims that he has been living long enough to see errors that he made, therefore as he grow older, he tend to “doubt of [his] own judgment” because nobody is perfect due to his past experiences (43). The informations that Franklin presents is to show his reputation that he is not perfect, also his constitution but he is open minded and willing to make what is best for the people. The perspective errors of the constitution have, is being “sacrificed to the public good” meaning all the flaw that constitution have will not be reveal to the people (44). Franklin is very passion about what is best for the people and their happiness, furthermore his characteristic is very respectful toward the citizen and the congress.

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975 Words | 4 Pages

Analysis and Reflection on Nazi Revolution “Deliberate before you begin, then execute with vigor”. Hitler followed this folk adage and implements it well. However, his behavior is not in a good faith. It is hard to imagine that an ineducation person took the whole country as a war apparatus to achieve his horrible goal.

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