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How Did Ben Franklin Influence Puritan Influence

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I would not consider Benjamin Franklin a spiritual descendant of the Puritans. It is easy to make a quick assumptions that could allude to Benjamin Franklin to be a descendant, or at least greatly influenced by the Puritan community. But with a better understanding of Puritans and several instances in Franklin’s autobiography; it’s easily seen he led a life, though influenced by Puritan life and literature, he led a life of thinking that greatly contrasted the Puritan belief. Puritan influence is undeniable in Benjamin Franklin’s life. Most of the literature, acquaintances, including his own family were of Puritan roots. Franklin wrote, “I was put to the grammar-school at eight years of age, my father intending to devote me, as the tithe of his sons, to the service of the Church.” (10) Franklin’s family, Protestants, were proclaimed Puritans and escaped danger from the reign of Queen Mary by finding freedom in Boston. His mother’s father was one of the first settlers of New …show more content…

A great example of the differences between the Puritan Community and himself is with his thirteenth Virtue, “Humility”, where he places Jesus and Socrates on the same level, a view the Puritans would defiantly disagree with. Puritans believed everything to be Gods will, from disaster to dinner whereas Franklin used reasoning. This can be seen though his justification of eating fish after being a vegetarian for a time. He remembered seeing similar fish in the bellies of the fish they caught and concluded, "If you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you." (36) The Puritans would see the fish as gifts from God put there for them. Franklin originally saw catching the fish as a “kind of unprovoked murder” before his revelation. After his logic behind eating fish he wrote, “So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.”

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Benjamin Franklin was one of the largest known founding fathers of the United States. He was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. He was the fifteenth child of Josiah and one of ten by Abiah(Franklin Born). His father wanted him to be a clergy but could not afford to send him to school for that many years.

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Born in 1706 as the eighth of 17 children to a Massachusetts soap and candlestick maker, the chances Benjamin Franklin would go on to become a gentleman, scholar, scientist, statesman, musician, author, publisher and all-around general genius were astronomically low, yet he did just that. Franklin wrote in the Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual revolution in the 18th century. The ideals of the enlightenment are still thought of today, as they are a part of the United States’ Declaration of Independence and Constitution. When one remembers Benjamin Franklin very few people are aware of the fact that he worked as a printer until the age of 42. As a printer he had access to substantial amounts of literature.

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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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