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How Did Benjamin Franklin Contribute To The Enlightenment Ideas

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In 1705, Benjamin Franklin was born to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger in Boston, Massachusetts. This was not just any normal colonist birth where the child would go on to hopefully become a British gentlemen, this marked the beginning of life for the quintessential American. Franklin lived his life in the mold that many Americans would go on to live their lives. His lifestyle has changed people for centuries, with references still occurring to this day. He helped bring the Enlightenment and Enlightenment ideas to America. These ideas would create the foundation and basis for America. They would also help write the Constitution and other important American documents. Even though Benjamin Franklin spent many years away from America, he was never an Englishman, he was a true American based off his religious ideas, his embodiment of the American dream, and …show more content…

The English created their country based on their Anglican views while Franklin focused on reason, not religious revelation. He “never accepted the bible as divine revelation” which demonstrates his belief that the Bible does not change one person just by reading it, nor did he believe “in the divinity of Christ” which a true English Anglican would never say . Franklin focused a lot on science and creating new inventions. The English were constantly using religion within their society, while Franklin “decided that religion was not a subject worth disputing in public” which further pushed himself away from the English thinking, and more towards the freethinking American side . Franklin was very critical of religion as well, stating that “a virtuous Heretick shall be saved before a wicked Christian” which in this time period, was very against what the English church preached, and Franklin’s beliefs are a main reason why “he never belonged to any

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