Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Americanization of Ben Franklin free essay sample

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 Franklins 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 1 8th 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 careers for anyone in the lower class is based on apprenticeship. We will write a custom essay sample on The Americanization of Ben Franklin or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Apprenticeship acts as a deterrent for anyone n the lowest social classes to advance throughout society professionally. Although Franklin seems to be placed as a candle and soap maker he finds a way with his very skilled, self-taught reading and writing skills to apprentice his brother In the prattling trade. The printing trade helps to define the way Benjamin Franklin forms his personality, and makes an impression on the community. During Franklins time as a printer, he becomes one of the best by being able to assume many different roles in his papers. He was a man of many voices and masks ho continually mocks himself. This skill most definitely comes in handy when he speaks with any person. He Is very charming when It comes to women and prominent figures of society, giving him an advantage In politics. An example of hulls charm would be how he impressed Cotton Matter, even though he had insulted him in his saturating in the Silence Dogwood Essays. After writing the Silence Dogwood Essays, the Massachusetts government shuts down the printing operation, because they did not like being disrespected. Printers could not speak and publish freely, especially when t came to poking fun at the religious community because they had a large role In Massachusetts.Franklin makes a move to Philadelphia so that he Is able to become sets of values that Franklin noticed and took advantage of. He knows that in Philadelphia he can write without any public prejudice because of Philadelphia religious freedom. Patronage being the basic means of social mobility2,had to be the next step for Franklin. Franklins patrons were very wealthy and helpful men that further introduced him to prominent figures of the society. Woods says, Franklin was ever quite as self-made as he sometimes implied3, but did he not have to impress those people in the first place?Franklins social skills were so beyond what his age might determine them to be. What seems to be a very fortunate patronage, could also be seen as Franklins self made popularity. One of the major steps in a mans life in the 18th century was becoming a gentleman or becoming part of the gentry. The word gentleman has a completely different meaning than that of the 20th century. The meaning of a gentleman was to be a very wealthy man, retired from business that could discuss the most intellectual f topics. Franklin was very careful in taking the next step to becoming a gentleman. He shows he is wary of certain flaws of trying to climb the social ladder too fast by saying, we below cannot help considering him as a Monkey that climbs a Tree, the higher he goes, the more he shows his Ears. 4 After accumulating all his wealth and becoming one of the most famous men in the American Colonies, Franklin eased his way into the title of gentleman and proceeded to move on to matters of science and observation so that he could further establish his self made title.

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