Although Benjamin Franklin was well known as an inventor, a Post Master General, and “One of the Founding Fathers of the United States”, he was also known for being a leading author of his time. Among all his works of writing, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” caught my attention immediately due to the content of his writing. Even though the exact date it was written is unknown (but most likely in 1746), it was first published in The General Advertiser, on April 15, 1747, pseudonymously. It tells of a woman being on trial for having her fifth child out of wedlock, even though she has been punished for it previously. Throughout the speech she justifies her actions by telling the court that she alone could not make a baby, but yet she is the
In Patrick Henry’s speech in the Virginia Convention he talked about how the people of Virginia needed to fight the British. In Benjamin Franklin’s speech in the Convention he talked on how he thought the Constitution had some problems and how he thought it could be different to help all the people of the country. In both of the speeches there are a few similarities as well as some differences. Both Patrick Henry and Ben Franklin they talked about what the people should do and how they can do it using by using their ability to move the people to action.
Franklin was one of the oldest Founding Fathers -- he was 70 when he helped the 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence and 81 when he later signed the Constitution. During the Revolution, he served as an ambassador to France, where he used his reputation and resourcefulness to get the help that was necessary to win the war. He then helped arrange the Treaty of Paris with England, which firmly established the independence of the new United States of America. Benjamin Franklin, was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Benjamin franklin's involvement with the us constitution is a very remarkable part of the us constitution because of how much he inspired the delegates to work on the constitution Of all the founding fathers, Franklin has the special distinction of having signed all three of the major documents that gave the colonies freedom from British rule and established the United States as a free nation(1): the Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Paris, and the United States Constitution were all the treaties he signed(1). Benjamin franklin didn’t use any documents to help him write the us constitution. But since his beginning times, he’d read many important books. He’d discussed vision about equal rights with professors and other delegates. He’d also worked with intelligent men like
Benjamin Franklin contributed to the formation of the constitution in more ways than one. According to the letters of delegates to congress, Benjamin Franklin seemed to believe in the power of the unity among congress. (Letters of Delegates to Congress 77). According to the archives on the delegates of the constitutional convention, he did more prior to this convention. He was a part of the Albany congress by being the representative of the nation of Pennsylvania, and he also helped with the unification of colonies during the French and Indian war.
Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass are two men that are very different, but have many similarities. When we hear these names, we think about two people who did great things. Both men made something out of their lives when they had nothing. Franklin is well known for being one of the Founding Fathers of The United States of America. He is also well known for being an inventor, civic activist, scientist, writer, and a diplomat.
The aphorism that I choose to discuss in this post is the 442nd aphorism from Benjamin Franklin’s Almanac that says “Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power” (Franklin 44). I think that Franklin used this aphorism to bring out the literal meaning that a person should neither defy his or her morals to obtain wealth nor relinquish his or her liberty in the name of attaining power. But power and wealth are components of safety or security. Thus, the real meaning of this aphorism is that people or societies that forfeit their freedom as a way of attaining some temporary security or safety should lose both their liberty and security because they do not deserve them. Thus, it underscores the idea that, when one trades his
When William Cronon, a renowned environmental historian, penned Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, he wanted to bring awareness to the ecological effects of the European’s arrival to New England. Many history books focus exclusively on the people, towns, governments, religions, and so on in pre-Colonial New England; however, the thesis of Cronon’s book, which was originally published in 1983, was to show that we can analyze what changes happened to the plants and animals of New England as the settlers gained power and supremacy over the area once occupied by none other than the Native Americans. As stated in the beginning of the book, “the shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes—well known to historians—in the ways these
Franklin’s views changed radically as he grew older. He did not publicly speak out against slavery until very late in his life. As a young man he
Ben Franklin’s was “Speech in the Convention.” Benjamin Franklin wants to not fight in war but Patrick Henry does. Benjamin Franklin agrees with our Constitution but Henry does not. Benjamin Franklin said that we all need to stand together to prevent war. Franklin was Federalist but Henry was Anti-Federalist.
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
Out of the two satires by Benjamin Franklin, my favorite one was "The Speech of Miss Polly Baker". While reading I found the story very interesting. Franklin wrote "The speech of Miss Polly Baker" as a fiction to present his idea of feminism and gender inequality. With the help of the main character Polly Baker, Franklin found a genuine way to demonstrate his frustrations towards society. At the beginning, Miss Baker pleas to Judge in response to being accused of giving birth to a child.
While exsisting in a moralistic society, there are expectations and rules for people to follow. In relation, people follow differnt virtues so that they can live their life following moral standards within their hearts. In “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,” Benjamin Franklin includes a list of his thirteen virtues of which he believes are the most significant in living a moral and righteous life. Although this list may have been wrote in the eighteenth century, many of the virtues still are prevailant as well as not in today’s society. Putting ones self first is a motto that many people in today’s generation put forward to demonstrait and signify.
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.
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.
