Essays on Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is one of greatest Americans who played very significant role in making of modern United States of America. Benjamin was one of brightest brains of America and is known as first American. Benjamin Franklin was a successful politician, author, diplomat, civic activist, scientist and a statesman. This paper intends to discuss life of Benjamin Franklin and further delves into his autobiography in order to know several other related aspects of his life.
As per the information, provided in his biography, Benjamin was born in a very humble family on 17th January, 1706 in Boston. Benjamin was eighth Continue reading...

Mounted on the one hundred dollar bill and known for his many contributions and inventions to society, Benjamin Franklin is known as velour inspiration and wisdom. However, under this scenario, Franklin is an arrogant, self-conceited narcissist who only accomplished exceptional tasks, such as inventing the stove in 1742 not to better society, but simply to appease himself. Such evidence is portrayed in his autobiography, which Franklin named The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. In this said autobiography are numerous instances where Franklin’s arrogance and hypocrisy is blatantly obvious. Much of these egotistical instances are apparent using diction, syntax, mood, Continue reading...

Introduction

During the American Revolution, many women took active part in both the American and British armies. Apart from direct participation, many women also contributed to the revolution indirectly. In the 18th century America, women’s role in the society was limited to the boundary of home as child bearer and home maker. Politics, military activities and even social activities were almost 100% an all-male affair (Brooks 2013). Therefore, it was not easy for women in that era to directly participate in the American Revolution. Still, thousands of women participated.
The American Revolution started when England put in place the Continue reading...

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Ever since 1776, our founding fathers have been eager to warn us about the power the United States government has over the country. Individuals like Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson warned us about tyranny over the mind of man. They wrote the constitution to put fear into the American people about central and mass government. They gave states all the power during the early years of the United States, and as time as passed on, the Federal government now holds most power as of 2014. It’s ironic to, because the same fears our founding fathers had, Continue reading...

The classic American myth of rags-to-riches can be seen in the lives of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass. These self-made aspects of their lives can be seen in the narratives of the stories of their lives. Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass became very successful in achieving their goals. Their lives paint a clear picture of self-made individuals who fought odds in their lives and struggled to become famous and highly revered individuals in America. Even though they were separated, by time, place and circumstances, the two writers had a similar chronology of life events in their narratives. Benjamin Franklin Continue reading...

English

Benjamin Franklin was born on the 17th of January, 1706. He was also known as The First American” as he was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. In addition to this, he was also a dominant author and printer as well as a postmaster, politician, statesman, diplomat and most importantly, a civic activist. Franklin had made many discoveries and inventions in the field of science as well. The invention of the lightning rod, Franklin stove and bifocals were some of them. As a civic activist, he had founded and facilitated a university and Philadelphia’ Continue reading...

The treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. Benjamin Franklin had insisted on the recognition of American independence by the British Empire. He had also refused to consider a peace separate from France, which was America’s great ally. The insistence was because he had rejected informal peace overtures for a settlement by the Great Britain, which would have provided a settlement for the thirteen states with some measure of autonomy. The cause for the recognition of the independence of America was due to the war between the Great Britain and America, which had lasted almost seven years. The Continue reading...

The book is written in a memoir fashion for the events that took place in Benjamin Franklin’s life. It is a descriptive book on Benjamin Franklin’s character as well as how he was tormented with his life and the different scenarios that were presented to him in wake of revolt and other major issues facing the union. The book comprises of years that initiate from 1726 all the way to 1790 when he died. This book provides key insight to all the details that went into the life of one of the most famous founding fathers of Continue reading...

Constitutional Convention

Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a significant day in the history of the United States. Constitutional Convention set the future course of action for the national and state governments in the United States of America. Diverse factions and delegates from federal and state governments participated to formulate a constitution for the United States. Different factions represented at the Constitutional Convention with wide difference over numbers of issues, however, they all overcame the difference and finalized the American Constitution at the Constitutional Convention.
American Constitution has been the foundation of the United States government for over two centuries. It defines Continue reading...

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In the article, The Declaration of States, author Thomas Jefferson tried to rationalize the importance of securing autonomy if only to establish a degree of authority on a particular area. This authority is meant focus only on the improving one’s area of responsibility for effective management and to secure productivity that could contribute to the national economic gains of the nation to which it belongs to. On the other hand, in an article entitled The Way to Wealth, Benjamin Franklin talks about productivity from a different perspective and the role of the government in Continue reading...

Benjamin Franklin was an exceptional intellectual personality. He went from being a poor uneducated boy, into a very intelligent and wealthy man. This was through his self improvement and determination in life. Franklin was a diplomat, printer, scientist, political philosopher and a writer. Throughout Franklin’s life, he worked on his self improvement so that others would learn from it. He improved his characters by writing the thirteen virtues which helped him in his moral perfection.
Benjamin Franklin was a genuine and a compassionate man who wanted to help other people. He wanted the world to learn from his Continue reading...

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“There are three things extremely hard: steel, diamond, and to know one's self”—Benjamin Franklin
After reading and analyzing William James's essay, “The Self,” it would be easy to draw the same conclusion expressed by Benjamin Franklin in the above quote. The self is difficult to analyze because it comprises of various aspects or parts which integrate seamlessly to form a whole or complete individual. James, who was a philosopher, psychologist, and Harvard lecturer during the middle and late 1800s used much of his writings to define and explain the concept of Continue reading...

Christopher Columbus and Leif Ericsson

Every year on October 12, inhabitants of the Americas celebrate one of the greatest event in history – the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Norseman Leif Ericsson was the one who with at least 35 men on boat hit the beach of America five hundred years prior to Christopher Columbus. The connection is the Americas, its discovery.

Benjamin Franklin and Richard Saunders

Benjamin Franklin and Richard Saunders relate to one person – one of the founding fathers of the United States of America – Benjamin Franklin. The connection is the “Poor Richard's Almanac” published between 1732 and 1758.

Mary Dyer and Richard Nixon

Mary Dyer, English Puritan, who joined the Quakers, Continue reading...

When on January 17, 1706 in Boston in the family of a poor soap-boiler fifteenth child was born no one could imagine that this boy would not only glorify the dynasty of Franklins, but also the entire country, that he would become a world-renowned scholar and one of the founders of the new nation – the United States of America. The boy`s name was Benjamin. His life story is an example for any young person entering the life and seeking to make one's way in life.
An active politician, diplomat, writer, educator, scientist, and inventor About this remarkable man Continue reading...

Book review

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for Franklin’s Memoirs, the unfinished records of Franklin’s life, written between 1771 and 1790. The Autobiography was never published during the lifetime of Franklin. While it was several times published in original view in French and English, the most popular version is the one, edited by J.Bigelow. This edition contains both ready parts and the notions about the unexecuted portion of the Franklin’s plan (Franklin 53). The book consists of four parts that represent different periods of life of Benjamin Franklin. The purpose of the edited Autobiography Continue reading...

Benjamin Franklin discusses how he is astounded by the intellectual capacity of the African Americans. In a letter written to the John Waring by Franklin, he claims that his thinking dynamic has progressed after a first-hand experience in a Negro school (Franklin 37). Franklin was surprised by the progression African Americans had made in the schools in that their reading and writing capabilities had grown immensely. Given that most white Americans believed African Americans were savages, which dehumanized them, he was impressed by the level of their intellectual capabilities. In addition, Franklin was also moved by the fact that Continue reading...

Book response Essay

The role of biography in understanding historical events and historical personalities is significant. It helps us to get to know more about the certain period of history and about those who act in these periods. It is impossible to imagine events without any notion about personalities who may also develop their feature in certain historical contexts.
One of the prominent historical personalities of the 18th century is the personality of Benjamin Franklin. Many biographies were written about this political leader, and every of them is intended to reflect the hidden truth in the historical context and events that took Continue reading...

Religion, or belief in a god or multiple gods as well as belief-related activities, such as praying or worshipping, has various and history-motivated established manifestations in different countries. Religion has existed for centuries, starting with the holy antiquity, and reversed its direction due to a number of reasons ever since then. Religion in Europe changed its course from being politics-oriented to being apolitical, maintaining neutrality, granting political power its much needed laicized status after centuries of the Holy Inquisition and de facto governance of secular affairs. The USA, the country founded by puritan pilgrims seeking opportunities to freely exercise Continue reading...

Charles Gravier comte de Vergennes was a French diplomat and Statement. As a diplomat he served in Constantinople, Trier and Stockholm as ambassador. During Luis XIV’s reign, he was appointed as foreign minister of France in 1774. Charles Gravier was one of the main French supporters of American Revolution. Initially, the support was in secret through Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais who was his secret agent. The French later made their support public after an agreement between the American colonist delegation led by Benjamin Franklin and France. Vergennes role in the Franco-American alliance aided the American cause by providing Continue reading...

Introduction:

Edgar Allen Poe was a great storyteller and one of the most important fiction horror story writers of his age. He was also credited with inventing the detective story when he came out with his Auguste Lupin character that was based in Paris and is rather a forerunner of Sherlock Holmes. In fact three of the classic Dupin cases; ‘The Purloined Letter’, ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’and ‘The Mystery of Marie Roget depict three classic situations which continue to affirm the point that Poe was the father of the detective novel. However this makes us observe the clarity Continue reading...

George Washington and the Polite Gentleman

Colonization started to take its course as from 1680 to 1750. The main form of immigration was internal-external mainly rising from Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Africa. The states grew very fast with Pennsylvania being the best. In British America areas, the society was divided according to their main job characteristics. They included the farming society of the north, the planters of the south and the urban society of the seaboard commercial towns. In addition, some societies opted to base their love on material things.
The themes portrayed include the theme of population. The immigration process described clearly portrays this Continue reading...

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John Adams

John Adams is one of the few people who happened to witness the end of the colonial rule in the U.S. He was born in the 1735 and was a direct descendant of Puritan colonists (Liesenfelt, 2012). He studied at Harvard University and he helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1774 while in the Congress. Adams was the vice president after the declaration of independence. He then later served as the second president. The reason why I have chosen John Adams is that he was involved in the process of a great historical revolution. He Continue reading...

In the history of the United States of America, there were two Treaties of Paris which were signed. The first one signified the end of the American Revolution War in 1783. The second one was signed a century later in 1898 and resulted in the ceding of Puerto Rico, West Indies and the surrender of control of Cuba by Spain to the United States of America. Nevertheless, the paper addresses the former treaty of 1783.
This treaty was signed on the third of September 1783. The signatories were the United States and her allies on one side and the Continue reading...

Franklin, B. (2005). “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”. New York City: Dover Publications; New edition edition.

Book Review: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Introduction
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin is considered to be one of the most well-liked works of American literature; this delightful self-description has been interpreted into approximately every language. It is a book that covers Franklin's life all the way up to his pre-war visit in London as the agent of the Pennsylvania Gathering, as well as his year as a boy, work as a printer, experimentations with political career, electricity, and many other things that made Benjamin the remarkable Continue reading...

American is a superpower thus so many countries look up to it. Any event that happens in America today is watched through a lens by the world be it a third world country or otherwise. The United States is an important superpower and ever since time immemorial, she has been at the forefront of development throughout the world. Most of American historians do not go unnoticed. They created history to reckon with and what has made most policies and shaped most world decisions in today’s world.
Among the historical figures to reckon with are Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson Continue reading...

"H.W. Brands, Miracle at Philadelphia" Summary
H.W. Brands’ essay “Miracle at Philadelphia” is a narrative account of the Constitutional Convention that took place in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Pennsylvania State House. The essay contains names of the prominent delegates, including Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Madison, who attended the convention. Initially, “[t]he Convention was to be kept a profound secret” (Brands 122). A majority of the delegates had once been a part of the Continental Congress, and were familiar with the restrictions that the Articles of Confederation had placed on the national government. Brands’ Continue reading...

Introduction

Benjamin Franklin is arguably one of the most alluded to individuals by today’s scholars and philosophers. He is a source of inspiration to many people through his literary work, his life as an inventor, politician, a printer and a scientist. It is not fallacious that Benjamin Franklin paved and shone the light for today’s crop of scientists. Yet in his grandeur and spectacular, he believed in very basic ideals. As will be espoused in the paper, he believed in virtue to civic duty and personal life, personal conduct and learning how to read and write. While some Continue reading...

Benjamin Franklin, in many ways, represented the essential American character that the newly founded nation was to acquire over the succeeding centuries. From the epoch-making years of the American War of Independence marked by an all-pervading sense of great destiny that awaited us, emerged great personalities like George Washington, the astute general and irresistible leader of men, Thomas Jefferson, a man of over-riding principles and grand concepts, John Quincy Adams, sagacious strategist and many others who together gave voice to the collective aspirations of the thirteen colonies who threw off the yoke of British domination. If they were all Continue reading...

The motivation to settle in the Americas included both economic interest and escape from religious persecution. After Gilbert and Raleigh returned from their expeditions, they urged the queen to challenge Spain's threat of domination in the West. After Spain attacked Antwerp in 1570, thus endangering England's hold on European cloth, England looked at the new world to find a new market for the stuff. As a result, people started to make sojourns to the Americas to try and forge new economic prospects there. People like Frobisher and Gilbert, though they failed, attempted to traverse to America in order to Continue reading...

Report on Jeff Shaara’s Rise to Rebellion

This novel describes the events in North America and Britain in 1770-76 that led up to the Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Its plot is divided into three sections (The Right and the Power, Lions and Lambs, and The Flag Unfurled), beginning on the day of the Boston Massacre in March 1770, and continuing with the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts of 1774, the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and the meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to debate the pros and cons of independence. All of the major historical characters are portrayed in Continue reading...

Benjamin Franklin observed his life as a blessing from God. This is concerning the fact that he rose from the life of a poor child to the height of being recognized by the world as one of the key makers of history. It is in this regard that he asserts that he rose from poverty and obscurity to affluence and a state of reputation. (Franklin, B. 1906, pp 34) It is for this reason that he asserts that given a chance to relive his life he would gladly accept the offer. However, being no chance available he opted to Continue reading...

In the letter from Benjamin Franklin’s father written at Twyford, at the Bishop of St. Asaph’s in 1771 he informs Ben that, he was born and his early years in poverty and obscurity, from which he himself to a state of affluence celebrity in the world. He goes on to tell of the good fortune that accompanied him into his later years. Then he thanks Providence and tells how he wants to learn the means he employed to meet with this success. .
Benjamin Franklin’s father thanks Providence for his good fortune, however the remainder of the Continue reading...

Section I

People often have different drives that make them reach given heights of success. These heights are propelled by different factors and the inspiration that an individual has as well as the skill that an individual has. Benjamin Franklin had a great passion for writing and gaining information and that is the reason as to why he was employed in many print and press organizations (58). He even tried to venture in business in the same area. Due to his high regard for information, he knew that storing information for easier use and retrieval could be very important. As such, Continue reading...

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin wrote one of the most intelligent and purposeful autobiographies in history. Franklin emerged from the American Revolution one of the most famous men in the world. An inventor/entrepreneur/publisher/writer with a keen sense of self-promotion, Franklin was spectacularly successful at using his celebrity as a platform from which to share the wisdom collected from a life of remarkable achievement. Perhaps the most notable aspect of his memoir is the fact that it combined simple language and personal examples with brilliant, often deceptively complex personal philosophy. The result is a truly “democratic” literary work in that it offers something Continue reading...

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True communication involves the understanding of thoughts and feelings, whether this is between two people directly, or one person talking to another (or many others) through the written word. This idea is expressed in different ways through six short stories: Benjamin Franklin’s "Learning to Write", George Orwell’s "Politics And The English Language", Garrison Keillor’s "How To Write A Letter", Stephen King’s "On Writing", Frederick Douglass’ "Learning To Read", and Edgar Burroughs’ "Tarzan Of The Apes" (Chapter 7). Each of the short stories differs in their approach to achieving this goal of understanding, but Continue reading...

Annotated Bibliography on Protestant Ethic and the Enlightenment in America by Benjamin Franklin

Beeman, Richard "Benjamin Franklin and the American Enlightenment” The Intellectual World of Benjamin Franklin. Eds. Dilys Winegrad. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. 1990. 15-28. Print.
This is a volume of works that consists of essays written by different authors that contributes to the body of knowledge of Benjamin Franklin. The book speaks of the deep philosophical thought of Benjamin Franklin and explains further why the man still holds high appeal in the minds of Americans today. It is a scholarly piece of work where the authors have written personal essays or responses to the overall topic. The article written by Continue reading...

Independence and freedom of the individual helps people to live lives that are free from social expectations. Freedom and independence means that people will not be forced to live in a certain way because they will be allowed to pursue what is important to them. This shows that individual freedom and independence is very essential. Through freedom, people can be supported to do many new things without being told that whatever they are doing is undoable or wrong. They can be supported through the provision of basic requirements such as healthcare and financial requirements.

Independence is very essential to Continue reading...

Daylight has been used for a long time as a source of light and energy. The science surrounding daylight has evolved over the years. Quite a number of people have ventured into discovering new ways of developing and producing light which could be used any time of the day or night in film and photography industries. Several activities and events take place during daylight. This is mainly because it is considered to be convenient and economical to work during the day than using artificial light. However, as time went by people came up with new methods of producing light Continue reading...

This essay explores the differences in the views of Henry David Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin with regard to individual or personal freedoms. The views expressed here are derived principally from the specified readings provided in the Coursepack:
1. Henry David Thoreau: On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
2. Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography (selections)
These two men had very different ways of expressing their views and beliefs. I intend to describe their separate approaches to freedom, beginning with Thoreau, then finally to highlight the clear differences between the outlooks and philosophies of Thoreau and Franklin.
In the opening paragraph of Continue reading...

Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings is a very important text in both American History and Literature. Most often heralded as a document produced by, and about, one of the most important of the Founding Fathers, it is also a work that employs several literary devices and introduces many of the values that remain at the center of American culture. In his book, Franklin offers a way to live ones life, which is, interestingly enough, the way he lives his life. The book also has a section entitled, “Franklin The Scientist” which contains a series of letters which Continue reading...