...where the two have become practically synonymous with each other. In his book “ The Way to Wealth” Benjamin Franklin introduces ideas about not only surviving, but flourishing economically that still are still applicable today. Contemporary Society would benefit greatly from following the wisdom of Franklin, which emphasizes diligence, frugality with one’s finances, while refraining from falling into the pitfalls of slothful behavior. In the time of Franklin his way of living was quite common with those who sought to achieve wealth needing discipline less they fail. And during this time failure was not something...
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...Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” That quote described Franklin's portrayal of life in one sentence. Hard work and success go hand in hand, and while Benjamin Franklin and Washington Irving both write passages regarding it, they both have two different ideas or approaches with it. In Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth, Franklin establishes a firm belief in what it means to be hard working and in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, the life of the main character puts that belief to the test. In life, generally to be successful one must be a hard worker and be wanting to strive to reach their goal. Benjamin Franklin strongly believes in having to be a hard worker to be...
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...Frederick Douglas is one of America’s well known black historical figures who helped paved the way for many young Black men and women who preceded him. Douglass is known for his influence in the promotion of social justice in United States. In other words, he helped to abolish slavery along with the help of other social activist. He aided the black population by advocating to eliminate discrimination. Frederick Douglass is still applauded for his contributions and support. As an African American, Douglass faced many obstacles before becoming a free man. Since slaves are treated as property to be bought and sold as a commodity. Douglass was moved away from his family. One thing that I was astonished by Douglass is his intuition of trying to...
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...success as an attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. Everyone has a different idea of success and Mary Wollstonecraft and Benjamin Franklin are no exception. Mary Wollstonecraft views gender equality as success especially within education. Benjamin Franklin views success as a personal accomplishment coming from a strong work ethic. While Mary Wollstonecraft and Benjamin Franklin ideas of success are very different, both ultimately focused on bettering themselves, whether it be education or hard work. Mary Wollstonecraft grew up without a stable family and her parents left her and her sisters to live on their own. Her father was a heavy drinker;...
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...From the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin talks about his beliefs and values about industry, frugality, and religion, which were different around his time, but are what made him thrive and achieve greatness. Benjamin Franklin worked hard in his business and did not waste any of his time doing unnecessary actions. With a growing family, “I spent no time in taverns, games, or frolics of any kind; and my industry in my business continued as indefatigable as it was necessary.” Franklin believes that his habits of frugality and thrift served him well and considered industry “a means of obtaining wealth and distinction.” Benjamin luck that his wife was “as much dispos'd to industry and frugality as myself,” and assisting him around...
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...Benjamin Franklin is a figure that comes to mind whenever you mention the early beginnings of America, not only for his political involvement, but more so in my opinion, for his inventive ingenuity. It's my belief that many of the ideas and inventions not only helped shape early America but also continued to shape the country long after his death. We'll learn of his most prominent ideas as well as some of his lesser known creations that have found there way into nearly every city in the country. Benjamin Franklin was born to Josiah Franklin and his second wife Abiah Folger on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. At the time Boston was still a British Colony. Benjamin's father had originally planned on Benjamin being a tithe to the church1 as a preacher, having him sent to grammar school at the age of 8. Foreseeing the inability to pay for Ben's higher education after...
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...Freedom People today agree that freedom is a very important and that it should be part of their lives, but what does it mean to have freedom? Some would say it is the ability to do whatever you want as long as you do not break the law or hurt someone else, but others would say it is being able to do whatever you please without having any consequences. Many authors in the past wrote about this topic and what their definition of freedom was. Their writings inspired many people to think what freedom really meant and take action for freedom. A few of these authors were John Winthrop, Benjamin Franklin, and Ralph Emerson. John Winthrop categorized freedom into two categories, Natural Liberty and Civil Liberty. Benjamin Franklin was more interested in the economic side of freedom by being able to choose any job to become financially successful and having to do things for himself. Ralph Emerson’s definition of freedom was for people to think for themselves and do what they think is right. Just to worry about themselves instead of worrying about other people’s opinion and what others are doing. They all had different views of freedom and what it means to be free, but deep down they were similar in which people want the freedom to choose and be who they want to be without being punished or bound. John Winthrop’s definition of Natural Liberty is being able to do whatever people wanted and just relying on their instincts just like an animal would. “By this, man, as he stands in relation...
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...beings age, the opportunity to move up through the social hierarchy seems to disappear. In Gordon S. Wood’s biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, he tells a unique story that allows us to take a deeper look into almost every social class of the 18th century. As Franklin makes his way through the social hierarchy, Gordon Wood paints a picture of what society was like and how it works around Franklin. Franklin portrays this hierarchy through his own work and his interactions with other members of society. Also as Franklin moves up the social ladder, Wood gives different perspectives from Franklin on his social standing and how he is a “self-made man”. From being a child of a lower-class family to becoming a huge influence on the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin is one of the most interesting Founding Fathers. Starting with Franklin’s father, who has one of the lowliest jobs as a candle and soap maker, the social hierarchy begins at the bottom and with all of the artisan jobs that fall into that category. Franklin being the 15th of 17 children in the family shows that low class families were very large in size, making it very difficult for the youngest children of the family to gain any property or status. Primogeniture being the custom of the American colonies in the early 18th century makes it difficult for Ben Franklin to advance, putting him at a disadvantage. This disadvantage only helps to spark his desire to pursue knowledge and skill in writing Life long...
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...Christy Penner Comparative essay The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin ( Wood,2004) and Abigail Adams (Holton, 2009) each depict historical figures before, during, and after the American revolution. Respectively, Woody Holton and Gordon S. Wood present unique aspects of Abigail Adams and Benjamin Franklin which highlight societal, institutional, and ideological changes brought about by the American revolution. Holton’s depiction of Abigail Adams provides an in depth analysis of the challenges she faces as a wife who assumes the roles typically undertaken by the family patriarch. In wood’s book, the depiction of Benjamin Franklin allows the reader to understand the progressive development of Franklin as he transitions from a gentleman to an ardent revolutionary. An interesting aspect of Wood’s portrayal of Franklin resides in his detailed analyses of his contributions to the American Revolution and the generally negative reception he receives upon returning to the independent colonies. Both Wood and Holton chose these individuals, and specifically the overriding topics of each book, in order to explain these chosen themes through the perspective of well-known historical figures. Although both authors make interesting arguments, Holton’s research on Abigail Adams presents a more significant contribution to historical research by highlighting her contribution to women’s rights and feminism. Woody Holton’s work, Abigail Adams (2009) tells the story of the wife of...
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...Rebecca Williams 10/22/08 Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography: a guide to wealth and success in colonial America By writing his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin hoped to leave behind “the conducting means I made use of, which, with the blessing of God, so well succeeded, my Posterity may like to know, as they may find them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated” (pg. 1). Taking from his writing the principles he lived by and his personal attributes that benefitted him most, the book can be interpreted as a guide to success in colonial America. These principles and attributes are mainly a strong work ethic and determination, self-discipline, and desire for self-improvement. It is clear from the first lines of the Autobiography that Franklin displayed a strong work ethic throughout his entire. There are several instances throughout his Autobiography that indicate that he was never fully satisfied with settling for second best, but rather always strove to achieve the best. This characteristic was shown early on in life, when, at the age of 17, Franklin left his home town of Boston. Ending up in Philadelphia, “without the least recommendations or knowledge of any person in the place, and with very little money in my pocket” (pg.17), he relied solely on his determination and ability to work hard to make his way. Later in his Autobiography there is another mention of this characteristic. “I had on the whole abundant reason to be satisfied with my...
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...Rather than leave his life story to biographers and historians, Benjamin Franklin, ever the artisan, took the raw material of his recollections and from them carefully shaped the myth that has come to represent his life. (Isaacson 2) His use of thirteen virtues (Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility) by which one could improve one’s life became an integral part of his image. In his Autobiography, he claims to desire to “acquire the habitude (emphasis original) of all these virtues…” (Franklin 65) Yet it is only a few pages later when he admits having failed, adding “on the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it…” (Franklin 70) Ironically, Franklin has established a program that even by his own standards is impossible to complete, while still critical to the development and long-term success of the participant. This program of unreachable self improvement goals became foundational to the Franklin Myth....
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...asked us the question of "name at least three founding fathers of The United States," we could easily come up with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, or Alexander Hamilton. Now if that same survey asked instead "name one defining characteristic of these founding fathers," or "describe in your own words the significance of these individuals," we would get various responses. Despite the randomness of answers we would receive on such a survey, a common consensus could be reached about America's Founding Fathers, that is these individuals were great figures in our nation's history. The role they played in the 18th century to establish the basis for a nation that would continue to grow for centuries was significant....
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...Benjamin Franklin’s role in shaping the United States is mostly tied to his part in the American Revolution and his experiments with electricity. Mr. Franklin not only helped shaped the country but he also helped shape American literature with such writings such as The Way to Wealth, The Gospel Preacher a Book of Twenty Sermons, a number of different essays, and of course his Autobiography. His Autobiography was more of a self help book than writings about his life. He wanted to stress to his son and other people that what they were is not who they would always be, if they take the proper steps and kept an open mind they could achieve great things. In his Autobiography Franklin stresses the point of self-improvement through education, good health habits, good work ethics, not being argumentative, and practiced frugality among other things. Franklin’s writings influenced writers like Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, and Anthony Robbins. Some writers like Thoreau thought his writings focused only on achieving wealth and never really appreciating the simpler things in life. Though Franklin does stress on the more frivolous things in life at times, he really only wanted for people to learn how to become all around better people. Franklin believed that education was everything. In order for out country to grow everyone, especially the youth, needed to expand their minds. He stressed education so much to his fellow Americans that he started a learning academy that is now known as The...
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...question remains, how does one achieve this success? How is the Dream realized? For many Americans the formula is one of instant, albeit elusive, gratification. Rather than adhering to a traditional work ethic, far too many Americans are pinning their hopes on what they perceive as “easy” money. This article focuses on three phenomena in contemporary American society that have successfully captured the quest for the American Dream. Savvy marketers have convinced their audiences that a new wave of television game shows, lottery luck, and lucrative lawsuits are the way to wealth. Instant wealth has not always been a major component of the Dream. Americans have traditionally centered their efforts on thrift and hard work. During the Colonial Period, Benjamin Franklin counseled people on the “The Way to Wealth”. Poor Richard Almanac advised that “Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise”. The key to wealth was industry: “Industry pays debts”, insisted Poor Richard. Americans of the Early Republic expanded Franklin’s notion of...
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...LIBRARY Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin i Meet Benjamin Franklin Benjamin thought that his older brother James was too hard on him, and they often fought. When his apprenticeship ended, Franklin went to Philadelphia. This city, far more than his birthplace of Boston, became Franklin’s home. In Philadelphia he established his own business and raised his family. After Franklin retired from business in 1748, he embarked on a new career as a civil servant. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became deputy postmaster-general. Sent to England as a representative of the Assembly, he spent five years there. During that time, he made the acquaintance of statesmen and scientists alike. Years later, he returned to England and found himself caught up in the growing tension between the thirteen colonies and the British government. Franklin’s loyalties were divided. He felt affinities to the colonies and to King George II of England. When he could tolerate the British government’s policies toward the American colonies no longer, he sailed back to the colonies. By the time his ship arrived, the first battles of the American Revolution had already been fought. Franklin was chosen to serve on the Second Continental Congress, which, acting as the government for the colonies, declared independence from Britain and appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the American army. Franklin was one of five men selected to draft the Declaration...
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