The Pary of No Virtues

Benjamin Franklin is an American statesman, printer, scientist, and writer. Born in Boston, he is the only American of the colonial period to earn a European reputation as a natural philosopher; he is best remembered in the United States as a patriot and diplomat. He held five offices during his lifetime. He was the 6th President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, 23rd Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1st United States Minister to France, 1st United States Minister to Sweden, and 1st United States Postmaster General.

Benjamin Franklin tried to create a political party in1731 but failed due to the ideas and structure of it. He would have called it the Party of Virtue, which included his 13 virtues and the essential principles of every major religion in America. All men who were in this party had to follow Franklin’s thirteen virtues and believed the basic ideas of the existence of God. These men had to be virtuous, good, and wise to the point they cannot displease God. The reason why this party failed is because everyone is not perfect. No one cannot follow the thirteen virtues and believe in the existence of God and have the knowledge of how powerful God is. The party’s ideas disregards the basic psychological idea that people are complex, people are different, and people react to situations differently. Especially with the situations that were going on in the mid 1700’s, it was almost impossible to follow the structure of the Party of Virtue. Men would have to spend all of their time thinking about the thirteen virtues and coming up with a plan to help others with those virtues. This is why the party of Virtue was abandoned. No men could handle following the ideas of it and living their own lives.

Citation: “Benjamin Franklin.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008 The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press; Ketchan, Ralph Louis, . The Political Thought of Benjamin Franklin. reprint. Hackett Publishing, 2003. Print; Franklin, Benjamin, . The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, INC., 1996. Print.

Inventing Benjamin Franklin

On January 17th of the year 1706 Benjamin Franklin was born. He was incredibly ambitious and optimistic as he grew up. His idealism as a youth and his good-natured cynicism as an older man led to the discovery of electricity in lightning, the invention of the fire brigade, the work as Postmaster General, the funding of a hospital, the organization of a street-sweeping force, and many others. He became an American legend responsible for many improvements in American life and for many things that we presently take for granted (Encyclopedia). Although starting the autobiography with the original purpose as guidance it becomes obvious that Franklin continues to write in order to create an image of himself as a great public figure rather than as a great father.

Franklin wanted us to think for ourselves. While following his own advise, he invents a machine that we now know as the cast iron stove. Despite inventing the stove Franklin refuses to patent it because he believed "that as we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of others, we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously (Stealing)." As expected someone else patents Franklin's invention. Ramsey points out that, "for Franklin, ideas were a common treasury to be shared by all." In addition, this allows further understanding about Franklin. He was inventive and was not greedy.

His decisions to promote self-thinking, invent things, and not patent his invention all help reveal Franklin's ideals as well as aids in Franklin's goal of becoming great public figure, forever.



"Benjamin Franklin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Sep. 2009 .Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola: Dover Publicatons, Inc., 1996. PrintRamsey, Colin T. "Stealing Benjamin Franklin's Stove: A New Identification for the "Ironmonger in London." ANQ 20.2 (Spring2007 2007): 25-30. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 23 Sep. 2009

Benjamin Franklin and Small Pox
In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin it is stated that he lost one of his sons to small pox in 1736. Franklin had three children, one illegitimate son named William, one daughter Sarah, and Francis Folger (Wikipedia).
At that point in history inoculations for small pox were possible but they did have their down sides. Inoculations meant that a person was exposed to a small amount of small pox through inhaling ground up scabs from an infected person. This did decrease the outbreaks of small pox by 90%, but it also caused 2% of the people who did get the inoculations to die (Brannnon). Franklin states that he did not get Francis inoculated. He also states that parents should get their children inoculated for small pox. (Franklin 79)
Even today there are arguments about vaccines and if they do more harm than good. It seem that although the risk was higher in the 1700’s it was understood that getting inoculated was better than waiting to see if you got small pox. Franklin thought he made a mistake by not having Francis inoculated and regretted that after Francis died from small pox at four years of age.
Brannon, MD, Heather. “The History of Smallpox.” About.com: Dermatology. September 25, 2004. September 22, 2009.
“Benjamin Franklin.” Wikipedia. September 22, 2009.
Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Dover, 1996

Benjamin Franklin: A Name to be Reckoned With

Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most prestigious founding fathers, left a long legacy of innovations, business triumphs, and philosophical mantras on how to live. A large part of his contributions lies in the modern day public institutions of America, which are ubiquitous in our everyday lives. From his autobiography, we can attribute the development of modern police, fire, military forces, libraries, liberal arts universities, and public hospitals to Franklin’s work.

What is interesting to note is a shift from actual involvement in his early projects to the mere mention of his name ensuring a project succeeds at later points in the chapter. Many of Franklin’s initial achievements followed a pattern: A plan he conjures as a business venture, proposes to the Junto, disseminates to others by means of his press, and expands with his active involvement.

In his later ventures, we see a shift in practice, which him lending his name to projects and petitioning for their success via governmental influence. Jennifer Jordan Baker, in her article argues that:
“Franklin's service entails the public endorsement of projects, and his visible connection to such projects supposedly ensures their success […] Franklin's name has become precious currency.”

We see an example this with Dr. Thomas Bond’s proposal of a public hospital to which Franklin lends his support. Initially, the doctor had attempted to find support on his own, with many asking “Have you consulted Franklin upon this Business? And what does he think of it?” Franklin’s support gets the project approved, and he even obtains private as well as public funding. Accordingly, the plan is executed and the hospital is built quickly. This can be akin to modern political phenomenon of ‘name recognition’ which politicians seek to win office.

We can parallel Franklin’s efforts to today’s politics, where grassroots campaigns evolve into special interest groups and possibly large organizations. What begins as a neighborhood creek cleanup can turn into an environmental lobbying group with sway over politicians elected to office. For a man whose name is almost a rubber stamp of approval, Franklin still exudes a modest persona hoped his writing would “afford hints which at some time or another may be useful to a city I love…”

Works Cited:

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola: Dover Publicatons, 1996.

Baker, Jennifer J. “BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND THE CREDIBILITY OF PERSONALITY.” Early American Literature; Dec2000, Vol. 35 Issue 3, p274, 20p Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Milpitas Community Library. Sep 23, 2009

Influential Man in America

In the early and late eighteen century Benjamin Franklin was a key figure in America. His achievements in science, politics and society were influential. His own principles were epressed when interacting with the colonist and having a profound effect in American culture.
He was self educated and skilled in printing. Understood the power of words and could express him self accordingly. His traits allowed him to influence colonist or at least informed them of larger issue such as abolishing slavery and joining together as one nation. This echoed onto our modern culture. for example "a penny saved is a penny earned' drawn from Franklin "poor Richard's Almanack" years later his publication and letters, that people would keep, show how influential he was to America. He embodied the values of hard work, education, social collaboration int his work. The star one might argue of secularization of Puritan values and becoming engraved as American values.
Over two hundred years Franklin words have influence our culture. What he spoke for was the greater good, In doing so America braces democracy where a large collection of different people can gather and further enhance American culture.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. 1996. Print.

Morgan, Edmuns S. Benjamin Franklin.
Yale University Press. 2002

The Era of Benjamin Franklin

Can some man arrive at moral perfection in this life, or is it impossible? Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street, in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706. In his early age, he became more focus in reading and writing. As the years went by, it was clearly seen that writing was a tool through which he could express his ideas and argue points, and helped him to become a successful person later on in life. In 1753, Franklin rise to the top of the mail delivery world, becoming Postmaster General of the United States. Afterwards, Franklin started to turn his attention more and more to "public affairs" and the betterment of society. He was also called one of the founding fathers of the United States of America because he improved the quality of American’s life by doing a lot of public services and inventing the stove. In June, 1776, he became a member of the Committee of Five that drafts the Declaration of Independence. Franklin was also elected to the Second Continental Congress and proposed the first Articles of Confederation. In October 18, 1785 Franklin was elected as the sixth President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, replacing John Dickinson. Franklin died on April 17, 1790, at age 84.

After I red the book The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, this question came up to my mind, "Why are we still reading Benjamin Franklin’s life?" The answer was because the book established in literary form the first example of the fulfillment of the American Dream. For example, Franklin demonstrated the possibilities of life in the New World through his own rise from the lower middle class as a youth to one of the most admired men in the world as an adult. Furthermore, he asserted that he achieved his success through a solid work ethic which was one of the aspects of American Dream.

In the article “The Virtue of Reasonableness”, it implies that Franklin tried to lead his life by following the thirteen virtues (temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility). It also discusses that he followed these virtues because it helped him to indentify what was right and wrong. In addition, this virtues were also thought to be own by puritan’s tradition. He also chose to put the thirteen virtues in his book because he wanted to illustrate the “perfect character” and moral perfection to American.

Work Cited

"Benjamin Franklin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Sep. 2009 http://www.encyclopedia.com/.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola: Dover Publicatons, Inc., 1996. Print

Forbe, Steven. "The Virtue of Resonableness." Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and the Education of America . The American Political Science Review, Vol. 86, No. 2 (Jun., 1992), pp. 357-368 . American Political Science Association . September 16, 2009 .

Benjamin Franklin’s Virtues

Benjamin Franklin’s Virtues

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He has worked as a writer, printer, and statesman. As a printer he is famous for the Poor Richards's Almanac which was published 1732-57. In science he experimented with electricity, in addition he invented bifocal glasses, the Franklin Stove, and the lightning rod. His most important work was as a diplomat to in Europe. His ideals make him one of the most important figures in U.S. history.

An important point in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is Franklin’s views on religion. Glazener says in her article, "Franklin searches for a religious lowest common denominator, weighted toward the needs of civil society". Although Franklin does not disrespect or oppose Christian beliefs, he makes clear that religion does not help society. He also believes that Churches pushes people to become believers rather than good people. In Franklin’s autobiography, he prepares a list of moral virtues to try and obtain moral perfection. The list consists of ways to be good Samaritans; he merely uses some key points from Christianity such as frugality, sincerity, and chastity. This can be seen as a small attempt to secularize.

This leads to the idea of secularization, which possibly could have drastically changed modern American culture. Puritans have made clear that religion is to be incorporated to everyday life, but according to Franklin it segregates us. “…as I have found them more or less mix’d with other articles, which, without any tendency to inspire, promote, or confirm morality, serv’d principally to divide us, and make us unfriendly to one another” (62). This idea is significant because it is against Mary Rowlandson’s narrative, William Bradford’s story, and Puritan beliefs. In history religion is a dividing factor, like the Forth Crusade in 1240 or the existence of the numerous branches of Christianity. If America were to have drawn away from religion it may be possible that America may not be pluralistic today; resulting in different values that Americans believe in today.

"Benjamin Franklin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 14 Sep. 2009 .

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola: Dover Publicatons, Inc., 1996. Print.

Glazener, Nancy. "Benjamin Franklin and the Limits of Secular Civil Society." 203-231. Duke University Press, 2008. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. King Library, San Jose, CA. 16 Sep. 2009 .

The "Autobiography" of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a printer and publisher, an influential politician, and an extremely successful scientist and inventor. He helped write and sign The Declaration of Independence, and was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. He was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, as the youngest son of 17 children. After being taken out of school at only ten years old, Franklin’s love for literature aided in his knowledge. Franklin was able to become successful by hard work and perseverance.
Many scholars argue that this autobiography is not the full story that Benjamin Franklin wanted to convey. “No version of the Autobiography that we now read was published until the 1840s”(Shur, 435). He continues to state that while publishing the book only portions of Franklin’s original manuscript are found in what we read today. Whether this book is a true autobiography or if it is someone else recalling Franklin’s life, the themes remain beneficial. Another thing that is brought into question is why the title would contain the word “Autobiography.” According to William Shur, “‘Autobiography’ is a word that Franklin never used and probably never even heard. Its first documented use in English is in 1797, seven years after Franklin’s death.” If the book was truly Franklin’s work, why would there be a word in the title that was unknown in his lifetime? The way the book goes into details about his family and job opportunities when he was young, suggests that the content of the book is from Franklin; however, there is the possibility that someone else could have taken Franklin’s manuscripts of his life and created this “autobiography.”
The book introduces a theme that is found within the heart of America. Franklin shows how from a young age he was a person who believed in hard work, and was determined to succeed in life. In the beginning he states that he “emerged from poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred” (Franklin, 1). Benjamin Franklin’s life is a prime example of the American Dream; he became successful and achieved greatness by his strong work ethic and never-ending quest for knowledge.

"Benjamin Franklin." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 16 Sep. 2009 .

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Mineola: Dover Publicatons, Inc., 1996. Print.

Shurr, William H. "`Now, gods, stand up for bastards': Reinterpreting Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography." American Literature 64.3 (Sep. 1992): 435. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, San Jose, CA. 16 Sep. 2009 .

Fabrication or Not, The Story of Olaudah Equiano.

Gustasvus Vassa, more commonly known as Olaudah Equiano, was born in 1745 in a region known as "Assaka" located near the river Niger. At the age of 11, he and his sister were kidnapped by kinsmen and sold to local slaveholders. Eventually, Equiano was sold to white European slave traders who transported him across Atlantic Ocean to the English the colony in Virginia. After being traded by a few slave owners, Olaudah was bought by Robert King, a Quaker, who educated him and allowed him to engage in independent trading, which allowed him to later buy his freedom. As a freeman he spent the rest of his life sailing, exploring, and trading goods with the Atlantic colonies.

One of the biggest controversies surrounding Equiano's life is the legitimacy of his acclaimed birth place. In the first few chapters of "The Life of Olaudah Equiano" the reader is introduced to Equiano's lifestyle and culture. Also, he writes about how he was kidnapped with his sister, separated, and transported across the Atlantic. While Equiano claims that he was born in Assaka, there are individuals such at Vincent Carretta who believe that he was originally born in South Carolina. Regardless of his true origins, Equiano's true worth lies in the fact that he was able to purchase his freedom and go on to achieve major accomplishments, such as sailing around the world and writing a novel. Equino was not only able to free himself, but he was also able to educate himself during a time when literacy was scarce in all aspect, especially for slaves.

Cathy N. Davidson the author of "Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself" said that even if Equiano fabricated the early part of his life, the meaning of the book is not destroyed. The earlier part of his life could of been based on real stories not necessarily depicting Equiano's life, but other African Americans who passed on the story of the "Middle Passage". Then again the main point is what he achieves while living in the Colonies.

Davidson, Cathy N. "Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself." 18-51. Duke University Press, 2006. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library, San Jose, CA. 9 Sep. 2009 .

Boyce, Nell. "Out of Africa?." U.S. News & World Report 134.4 (10 Feb. 2003): 54-56. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library, San Jose, CA. 9 Sep. 2009

Capture & Abolished: Olaudah Equino

Olaudah Equiano’s biography, Olaudah Equiano: The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, is about Olaudah’s Journey from royalty and freedom, to Captivity and slavery, then back to freedom and religion. Born in Nigeria, Olaudah describes many accounts he has seen of Europeans trading slaves with his people and also kidnapping of his people to become slaves. All of this is told by his point of view up until he is kidnapped and made into a slave, too.
In Stephen Fender’s writing, Journal Of American Studies, he gives notice to the fact that Olaudah includes “spiritual conversion” to illustrate the conversion theme. Many African slaves converted to Catholicism as Olaudah did as safe haven or something to believe in. What makes Olaudah’s biography so useful is that he uses his experiences as a young free boy and his experiences as a captive slave to show us how his transition from no religion at all turns into his conversion to Catholicism from his master.
Olaudah’s writing is significant to American Culture today because it was one of the major components into abolishing the slave trade. His experiences were spread all over Britain and the British lawmakers were swayed into ending the slave trade almost 10 years after Olaudah’s death.

"Olaudah Equiano." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 14 Sep. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190722/Olaudah-Equiano>.

Stephen Fender. Journal of American Studies, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Dec., 2003), pp. 478-479Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for American Studies

"success" the only option

Imagine a group of men bum rushing into your home, desecrating everything around you, and taking nothing but your physical freedom. Olaudah Equiano experiences just that and many other life changing events described in his narrative “the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.” During his captivity in 1700’s the harsh reality of slavery is unveiled. Morals are no where to be fond, and humans are treated as if they were nothing less than animals. Olaudah, once a happy family boy has now been stripped of everything and is traded around as if he were an item.

Although Olaudah was a slave, he manages to learn the English language when he is finally traded away from Virginia of the new lands to Michael Henry Pascal. Pascal then traded Olaudah to a Quaker merchant named Robert King. King, who was highly religious, was not in favor of slavery but owned slaves none the less. Through out Olaudah life his owners all have had a positive out look on slavery, but finally an owner has a change of heart. King was not the brutal type, and he even allowed slaves to have time of their own. Olaudah starts making money by a little trading business he cooks up and soon enough he earns the money to buy himself from king. With a greater education and an open minded master, Olaudah is ready to set forth on his dreams. Reading and writing helps the slave to be free. By getting educated and paying attention to his surrounding, he accumulates all the knowledge to escape the chains of slavery.

Slavery was a huge obstacle that Olaudah had to get through, but even though he was free, he still needed to find himself. By looking at the positives in his life, he comes up with the values that he admires. A religious man has allowed him to be free, thus religion is now something endowed in Olaudah’s mind. He looks to the bible and is now spiritually connected to god, and has a new set of knowledge and beliefs. With all that is happened in his life, change is what Olaudah strives for. Change for a new world, a world for humanity, a world that does not involve the imprisonment of human beings. Olaudah has found his goal and he attempts to find happiness by fulfilling his goal of abolishing slavery. Speaking publicly about the immorality of slavery and writing a narrative are all steps Olaudah takes to answer his personal calling.

In the article “Olaudah Equiano and the Eighteenth-Century Debate on Africa”, Olaudah’s identity is questioned due to his dramatically changing life from a slave to a Christian. His race still chains him down from being a high political power. In this article they argue that race shouldn’t be a factor. I agree with his statement. I believe it doesn’t matter where one comes from. He is putting in work for what he believes in, so no one should be able to tell him what he can and cannot do. After all that Olaudah has gone through, he should be able to strive to what ever he sets his mind to.

Work cited:

Equiano, Olaudah , "The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gutavus Vassa, the African", Mineola, New York, 1999 Dover Plublication

boulukos, Geoge E., "Olaudah Equiano and the Eighteenth-Century Debate on Africa", 2007 by The American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies

From Essaka to South Carolina

According to his book, but otherwise contested, Olaudah Equiano was an African slave born in the Ibo village of Essaka, Benin (present day Nigeria). At the age of eleven, he was kidnapped by slavers and sent overseas to Barbados. He was re-shipped to Virginia where he was sold to a ship captain. Later, under the ownership of a new master, Equiano was allowed to buy his freedom.

In the first chapter of “The Life of Olaudah Equiano,” Equiano describes what he remembers of his tribe and culture, being remarkably descriptive in some parts, yet somewhat bland in others. While this may be due to Equiano being fairly young before he was kidnapped, another reason could be that he was not from the Ibo village of Essaka. It has been suggested, most notably by Vincent Carretta, according to Cathy N. Davidson, the author of “Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself,” that Equiano was in fact not the kidnapped African that his book suggests, but instead a ex-South Carolina slave. While others may believe that Equiano is a fraud, Davidson defends Equiano, saying that even if Equiano fabricated the “Middle Passage” part of his book, the importance of his book has not diminished and that “we need to claim him as one of the first American novelists”(25). She has a valid point, considering that his birth in Essaka is not what binds together the tale of his life. Instead, his ability to buy his freedom, sail around the world, and write a novel is the real point behind his book, and is why we still read it in the modern era.

Works Cited:

Davidson, Cathy N., "Olaudah Equiano, Written by Himself." Academic Search Premier, Sept. 14, 2009

"Olaudah Equiano." Encyclopedia.com, Sept. 14, 2009