Benjamin Franklin America

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Name Surname

Professor

Intro to America Studies

April 9th, 2018

The Historical context of Benjamin Franklin and America

Americans have had a rich history of the founding fathers and presidents (George

Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin) who

created a profound impact in the history of the United States. While he did not make into the list

of the American Presidents, Benjamin Franklin is probably one of the most remarkable founding

fathers in the U.S history. Benjamin Franklin was born in the wake of the American Revolution,

on January 6, 1706, in Boston (Franklin 3). Like other children in this era, Franklin had a formal

education for just two years which was largely self-taught.

As a teenager, he served in his father’s business as a candle maker and later went to work

as a printer in his brother’s shop. He was a prominent writer and published inspirational articles

like “The New England Courant”. His literary work rose after he published the “Poor Richard’s

Almanac” (1732) which formed an important basis in literary venture named “Father Abraham’s

Sermon” regarded by many as the most influential literary essay ever documented in the

American colonial era (Franklin 3). Franklin was a revolutionary leader who played an important

role during the American Revolution and the subsequent Declaration of American Independence.

He died in 1790 and buried in Arch streets, Philadelphia (Franklin 161).

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Important questions and debates surrounding American identity in that era

American Revolution and declaration of the American independence

Franklin was the pioneer of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was an

extraordinary process, in the American history. The period was characterized by the idea that

Americans had the freedom for self-rule, inherent right, and that the government had a sole

responsibility to serve the entire society, not just the few. In another context, the revolution

marked the culmination of the Great British rule in America and the onset of the incarnation of

the Enlightenment spirit. Franklin was central to this quest and called for the British government

to grant independence to the American colonies. In particular, Franklin played a role in

representing Pennsylvania in the Albany Congress in 1754 were helped to champion for the unity

of the colonies (Franklin 160).

Between 1757 and 1762, Franklin served as the Pennsylvania agent in England, where he

opposed the colonial governments move to control the Pennsylvania colony (Franklin 4). He

worked hard in this quest in presenting the grievances of the colonies to the England based

colonial government in an era where serious challenges were being experienced in the colonies.

In May 1776, Franklin was appointed to the Congressional Committee that was meant to draft

the Independence Declaration (Franklin 161). After the impendence, he served as a

commissioner to France, where championed for key negotiations and commerce treaties with the

France government. His close role enabled America to initiate peace with the European

governments that helped to end the independence war.

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How the topic helps to understand the evolution of thought on race, class, gender, or

sexuality in America

In all these endeavors, Franklin believed in the realization of the American dream. He

wanted a society where all Americans lived happy lives coupled with all aspects of civilization

and westernization. Ideally, he demonstrated this dream in his own life; self-taught education,

wealthy revolutionist, writer, inventor, and a founding father (Kulikoff 23). He lived a luxurious

life where he dined and emulated the European way of life. This is the very same dream he had

for the American society, one that he worked tirelessly to realize.

As a drafter of the American constitution, he envisioned a society where all Americans

have equal ideals of equality, liberty, inalienable rights to the pursuit of happiness, the laws

created for the betterment of the entire society, as well as equal freedom for all (Beach 160). On

this note, Franklin attached utmost importance to the slavery question and was against slavery

and oppression of the African Americans. In his arguments, slavery contradicted the ideals of

equality that the founding fathers worked tirelessly to realize when drafting the constitution. To

him, American dream would not be realized through the captivity oppression of the other

societies, but working together and strengthening each individual and race.

While social stratification (inequality of social classes) had not taken root during this

period, Franklin was against the oppression of the poor and low-class societies by the rich. In

particular, he believed in the power of the middle-class groups and attached respect to this social

class. According to him, the middle-class society was the true country men who defended the

colony and enabled America to rise due to their hard work (Kulikoff 8). He even n distinguished

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himself as a middle-class revolutionist one who had a deep influence on the working class and a

relentless desire to achieve equality of social classes.

The contrasting perspectives on this topic and one which makes the most sense

A clear contrast is reflected in the life, beliefs, and practices of Benjamin Franklin. For

instance, it is noted that Franklin had a humble background, fighting and associating himself

with the middle-class society while attacking the rich (Kulikoff 12). However, he appeared to be

enticed by their luxury, dined and emulated their lifestyles. He aped the wealthy aristocrats,

bought highly expensive linens, and adored the sensual pleasures of the capitalists (Kulikoff 12).

Franklin held contrasting views on conservatism and liberalism, which influenced his

political success in later years. This was due to the idea that he held both American and European

social, economic, and political practices and had different views regarding the two societies. He

regarded America as the best country for the poor, a society that worked hard to become rich in

the future (Kulikoff 19). Also, unlike Europe that was highly populated, America had abundance

of free land. America did not have social classes that neglected the poor like Europe.

Furthermore, a great contrast exists in regards to perceptions of how Great Britain regarded the

colonies. While he pointed out that the colonies were subordinate to Great Britain and Great

Britain oppressed the natives, he also viewed that the Crown leadership held the colony together

(Dull 12). This could be probably the most contrasting view and has attracted different

perceptions form historians.

The relevance of this topic to the present

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As the Americans live in the 21st century, the American dream and principles of

constitution coined by Benjamin Franklin two centuries ago remain rooted deeply in their

consciousness. Franklin envisioned a society where all Americans would live happy lives

coupled with all aspects of civilization and westernization. Ideally, he demonstrated this dream in

his own life. From the very onset, Franklin demonstrated a high level of academic brilliance,

having had only two years of formal education, but rose to become a founder of the American

independence and most importantly, a pioneer of the University of Pennsylvania (Franklin 3). He

was a son of candle maker, but rose to become a wealthy revolutionist, inventor, and a founding

father.

The present generation has always asked itself, whether it is possible to begin with a

humble background, work hard, and support their children comfortably without having to worry

about financial security, which is a key characterization of the American Dream that Franklin

stood for. His reputation as a self-made man is linked to the intellectual and enlightenment age

due to the scientific versatility and experiments that characterized his life. Both his great desire

and respect for the middle-class society symbolize what the current middle class regards itself,

which is the backbone of the American economy. He denied that poverty ever existed in the

American society, especially for those who held the right desire to attain wealth (Kulikoff 8).

This strong belief serves to enlighten Americans to assume responsibility for their failures. Like

Franklin, many still believe that could only succeed or fail as a result of their own efforts.

To a considerable extent, many Americans believe that the American Dream that Franklin

tirelessly fought for has not been realized fully (Beach 160). On this note, many believe that

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those who rule America in the contemporary society have subverted some of the principles

initiated by Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers. That the policies of our systems of

government are just like those imposed by our colonial masters is what some Americans believe.

These policies are imposed on the American citizens, not only without their consent, but also

regardless of those opposing them.

The establishment of Fluid Theory of Electricity by Benjamin Franklin is probably one of

the most relevance of this study. Franklin is the inventor and the co-founder of electricity and

created some of the earliest theories regarding the interpretation of the electrical behavior

(Kulikoff 23). He harnessed electricity from lightning by devising a flying kite experiment that he

used to trap lightning. From his experiment, he formulated a hypothesis that a wire could be

used to attract “electric force” from thunder, which can then be conducted in a metallic material.

His theory was applied in the invention of the positive and negative charges of electricity that has

become the basis of the modern understanding of electricity. This invention demonstrated that

American society was destined for a world of greatness and scientific discoveries.

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Works Cited

Beach, Josh. "The ideology of the American dream: Two competing philosophies in education,

1776-2006." Educational Studies 41.2 (2007): 148-164

Dull, Jonathan. Benjamin Franklin and the American Revolution. University of Nebraska Press,

2011

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Tribeca Books, 2011

Kulikoff, Allan. Benjamin Franklin and the American Dream, 2013 http://

colonialseminar.uga.edu/Ben%20Franklin%20and%20the%20American%20Dream.pdf.

Accessed April 2018

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