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John Winthrop's Autobiography

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Despite the rapid leaps in ideology that early American society made during its early days, one theme has remained consistent: liberty. American authors at the time used unique diction and phrasing to form their distinct voice, often differing only in time period. John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity and Benjamin Franklin’s The Autobiography [Part Two] served as the pinnacle of pre-revolutionary American literature, due to this use of rhetorical form. John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin express differing views towards the theme of liberty with the use of rhetorical devices. John Winthrop’s views towards liberty in the new world is aided by his constant use of ethos. Because America was a controversial project, many immigrants needed …show more content…

His past experiences of religious dissent form a unique view towards liberty from established society. He states that rather than conforming to the Presbyterian worldview that involved “olemic Arguments, or Explications of the peculiar Doctrines of our Sect, and were all to [him] very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying” (Franklin 300), he chose to create his own moral code, encompassing his views on how a citizen ought to live. Among Franklin’s thirteen precepts towards a better life, the concept of liberty is paramount. He states that “Resolution once become habitual, would keep me firm in my Endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry, by freeing me from my remaining Debt, and producing Affluence and Independence.”(Franklin 303) Resolution is integral in Franklin’s virtues, due to the fact that it ends personal oppression that one experiences. By entering into the Presbyterian church, and eventually rebelling against the majority of its concepts, Franklin showcases the concept of ideological freedom that is key in the development of modern American society. This personal breakthrough only occurred because he “wish’d to live without committing any fault at anytime; I would conquer all that either Natural Inclination, Custom, or Company might lead [him] into.” (Franklin 300) This pursuit of perfection stems from the oppressive society that surrounded him. He refused to fall into the endless cycle of conformity that the Presbyterian church was advocating, as it gave him no sense of liberty. Along with this, Franklin’s use of logos pushes the reader into giving into any temptation to rebel, without providing them with a sense of guilt. Throughout his teachings, Benjamin Franklin defines his own experiences with liberty that can be adopted by any willing citizen. Despite the fact that he is

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John Winthrop Jr was an extremely influential figure in New England during the 1600’s, not only in Connecticut, but also in all of the New England colonies. Walter Woodward’s book, Prospero's America, illustrates just how diverse Winthrop Jr's interests and impacts were. Winthrop Jr is popularly known as the man who is greatly accountable for protecting Connecticut's existence and obtaining royal charter to govern Connecticut. Woodward tells his readers Winthrop Jr's other roles which ranged widely and also how these roles were interrelated. Woodward shows us a person with boundless talent with even larger dreams and desires (Godbeer).

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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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Liberty was an idea that America was founded upon. When the Constitution was being written, Benjamin Franklin gave a speech explaining why the delegates should sign the Constitution. Franklin admitted to the delegates that the document was not written to the best of its ability, and how he himself had doubts involving some parts. Overall, Franklin believed that this document would be something to protect the liberties of the people and would secure the people 's rights. Government preserves the liberty of citizens by their equality which leads to socialism.

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history. Not only did Franklin defy in his actions, but as well as his demeanor as he is described as “the bedraggled 17-year-old runaway” (Isaacson 1). This description demonstrates a risk in Franklin’s personality, however, the risks Franklin would come to take revolutionized America. Franklin took an incredible risk when he proved the existence of electricity in lightning, he took this risk by “flying a kite” (Isaacson 4) in ghastly weather and on top of that he “invented a rod to tame it” (Isaacson 4). This risk revolutionized the modern day as electricity is a necessity in the current climate.

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Earlier in his life his brother was imprisoned for his newspaper because it “gave offense to the Assembly”. Although only imprisoned for a month, this was a huge injustice on what Franklin saw as basic human rights. Later in Benjamin Franklin’s life he had another experience with the freedom of speech being restrained. During his second time living in London, Benjamin Franklin came across letters from governors in the colonies that warned of the colonies losing dependence on Britain. Concerned with what the letters contained, Franklin sent them to a friend in Boston with explicit instructions not to have them published.

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18-9). Franklin always admired teachings of Jesus but fell short in belief of Christ’s divinity. As he aged he acknowledged a supreme and high being and aided in pushing along the new religious movement in American culture. John Adams aligns similarly to Ben Franklin, both raised in church to follow Puritan guidelines and faith, Adams believed that God had created the Universe and the study of nature would better help us understand and please God’s wishes; this is closely aligned with the great enlightened thinker John Locke (p. 34). Scientific thought influenced men alike including George Washington, nonetheless Washington held somewhat to the hand of God, using it for justification and placed importance of faith stating “religion and morality are essential pillars of civil society” (p. 59).

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Rhetorical Strategies Analysis Essay “For the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Two hundred and forty one years ago, the American colonies began their fight for freedom -- one year later they declared their independence from Britain as the United States of America. Patrick Henry’s The “Speech in the Virginia Convention” and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence were the catalysts for this revolution, and the reason for these documents’ fame could easily be attributed to the power within the words.

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The author of this document is John Winthrop, a Puritan leader and one of the founding fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century. He is known for his speech, "A Model of Christian Charity," delivered on the ship Arabella in 1630 during the voyage to the New World. The intended audience for John Winthrop’s sermon is the members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a group of Puritan settlers who established a colony in New England. In this speech, Winthrop outlined his vision for the new community, emphasizing the importance of charity and cooperation. Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity" is a landmark speech that reflects the Puritan philosophy and values of the time.

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Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues are truly something to follow. They contain a theme of avoiding conflict and being clean, mentally and physically. The virtues that seem the most important in achieving a well-balanced life, to me, are Franklin’s Silence and Order. I chose these two out of the 13 because they were the closest to my personality currently. As a child, I was taught to think before I speak and that “Words hurt more than actions.”

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In his early life, Franklin begins to exhibit a trait that is now an integral part of American identity: a commitment to self-improvement.

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This passage, “from The Autobiography” by Benjamin Franklin, is a narrative that clarifies the truthfulness that is presented in this version of the author. Franklin realizes that he needs to achieve personal integrity as he “...wished to live without committing any fault at any time” (Franklin 92). In order to obtain this moral perfection, he creates a list of thirteen virtues to follow in his everyday life; these virtues include imitating Jesus and Socrates, avoiding extremes, and rarely using venery for dullness. Contrariwise, Franklin shows honesty by admitting to bad behavior, and in some cases, he performed this behavior for his own personal gain. For example, Franklin went to sleep during a religious meeting because he was “...very drowsy

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There were a lot of American men who had perfect influence on people’s mind of American society. Jonathan Edward and Benjamin Franklin were two of those writers, who were the most important and intellectual men, who left behind many admirable works for the future society. In spite of them being so intelligent, they have some different and similar views in terms of morality, personal responsibility, human nature, and limits of human knowledge and inform people how to live a better life. In addition, they were different in terms of religious inclinations. Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edward were both philosopher and had similar views in terms of informing people the right way to live in order to be successful and get salvation by reforming their mind in their life.

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Much like today’s American fundamentals, Franklin believed in allowing people to worship freely, without discernment or prejudice toward other

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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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