benjamin franklin an essay

The Life of Benjamin Franklin Essay (Biography)

Benjamin Franklin is among the founding fathers of the United States of America. Although not originating from a politically influential family, he solely worked hard to become the cream of the elite class. As the pioneer of electricity, he experimented and wrote on different subjects in the field, which the American society still recognizes.

Through hard work, profound innovations, and proposals, he won governmental positions, which drew him close to the political class and other leaders building a concrete American economy. Franklin’s skills and tactics in carrying out diplomatic relations represented a unique American personality. As a fearless, visionary leader, he symbolizes liberty, enlightenment, economy, and unity, which represents the American character.

Descriptively, Benjamin Franklin was a father figure, leader, politician, writer, scientist, inventor, and philanthropist among other qualities that a one person hardly posses. Besides heading a smooth family, he struggled to contribute to the attainment of independence of the US. Franklin stove and electricity harnessing are some of the innovations under his name. His character as a bold person and a diplomat qualified him for an achiever of the society.

Through his tremendous contribution to the American politics and economy, Benjamin developed a solid relationship with the United States of America. Franklin’s father migrated to America in 1635 where he married his second wife after the death of the first one. Therefore, becoming an American citizen by birth, Franklin established solid roots in America.

At the tender age of twelve, he learned printing skills, which motivated him to develop writing skills eventually becoming a publisher and a leader. Franklin’s skills in diplomacy not only led to independence of the US, but also to the unification of the different states of America. His government duty as a diplomatic official and an ambassador led to the establishment of the American constitution and American flag and currency, which was unique among all the nations.

Franklin is a symbol of American economy, currency, constitution, and politics. Due to his accomplishments in the education sector, America has produced the best scientists and inventors all over the world. As a diplomat, he called for peace among nations like Britain, the US, and France. Moreover, he united the thirteen states of America to create a solitary nation. Consequently, during Franklin’s time, the US was at peace, which led to the establishment of communication, transport facilities, and other industries.

Economically, he is the pioneer of the American currency, which explains the presence of his portrait on it. Furthermore, he was a player in the team that wrote the constitution of the US, which is the basis for the bearing political stability that the US enjoys even in the contemporary times. Thus, in the contemporary society, Franklin is a symbol of the strong American economy, which rarely dwindles.

The aforementioned contributions of Franklin not only to the US, but also to the entire world categorize him as a courageous, bright, and tactful person. Contemporarily, he is the American character and decades later, nobody has risen to match his personality. He solely combined different disciplines ranging from social, political, economical, and scientific, which culminated into a superpower.

In summary, Benjamin Franklin was a unique person that the world ever experienced. His ability to combine all disciplines enabled him to develop the nation of United States of America. He is a symbol of the concrete American economy, which is at the brim of the world’s economy. Truly, his intellectual abilities typify the American character.

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About the Papers of Benjamin Franklin

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is a collaborative undertaking by a team of scholars at Yale University to collect, edit, and publish a comprehensive, annotated edition of Franklin’s writings and papers: everything he wrote and almost everything he received. In a life spanning from 1706 to 1790, Franklin explored nearly every aspect of his world, and he corresponded with an astonishing range of men and women of all social classes and professions in America, Great Britain, and Europe. His collected papers present a panoramic view of the eighteenth century, in addition to an unprecedented view into Franklin’s thoughts and activities reflecting his ever-curious and inventive mind.

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin was established in 1954 under the joint auspices of Yale University and the American Philosophical Society. It is housed in Yale’s Franklin Collection, the world’s finest collection of printed, manuscript, and visual materials dedicated to the study of Franklin and his times, which was assembled by Yale alumnus William Smith Mason. Launched with a generous gift from Henry Luce in the name of Life Magazine, the project has been sustained by numerous grants from individuals; private foundations, including the Packard Humanities Institute, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Florence Gould Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Cinco Hermanos Fund; and two federal agencies, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Forty volumes have been published to date, bringing the edition to September, 1783, when Franklin and his colleagues signed the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution and established the United States of America. The entire edition is projected to reach 47 volumes and will encompass approximately 30,000 extant papers.

A Digital Franklin Papers edition has been freely available on the web since 2006, sponsored by the Packard Humanities Institute, at www.franklinpapers.org . This database contains texts of all documents that have been published (current through volume 37), and preliminary transcriptions of all texts that will appear in future volumes, through the end of Franklin’s life. In addition, the database includes transcriptions of the documents that were not printed in full, translations of many of the French texts, a biographical dictionary of all Franklin’s correspondents, and an introduction written for the digital edition by Edmund S. Morgan.

A preliminary cumulative index to the published volumes is available on the project’s website. Please visit that website for more information on the project, links to order volumes, and information on Yale’s Franklin Collection.

See a complete list of Franklin Papers volumes included in Founders Online, with links to the documents.

The letterpress edition of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is available from Yale University Press .

Copyright © by the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge and by Yale University.

We thank Michael D. Hattem of Yale University, and Erica Cavanaugh and Patricia Searl of the University of Virginia, for their assistance in proofreading the Franklin documents in Founders Online.

National Historical Publications & Records Commission

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin, half-length portrait, engraving from portrait by Benjamin Wilson. Courtesy Library of Congress.

Yale University and the American Philosophical Society

Project Website: https://franklinpapers.yale.edu

Publisher: Yale University Press; Packard Humanities Institute (digital edition) at http://franklinpapers.org

A comprehensive edition of the papers of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the founders of the United States of America. Franklin had many careers during the course of his life including service as a diplomat, printer, writer, inventor, scientist, lawmaker, and postmaster. At the age of 23, Franklin became a newspaper editor and printer, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette and later creating and publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack under the pseudonym “Richard Saunders.” He was part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence and was a delegate at the U.S. Constitution. Franklin also served as the first ambassador to France and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris (1783) with England. He was a founder of the University of Pennsylvania and late in life petitioned Congress on behalf of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society to end slavery.  

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin are also included in Founders Online ( https://founders.archives.gov/about/Franklin ).

Ongoing project, 42 volumes completed of a projected 47 volumes

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Benjamin Franklin essay

Benjamin Franklin shaped the character of the new American nation as writer, scientist, humorist, civil leader, international celebrity, inventor, patriot, printer, economist, philosopher diplomat, and businessman and was one of the popular founding fathers of free America. He worked all his life as conscience-keeper of the nation. Adams was vice president under George Washington and later became President. He became popular in X, Y, Z fever against France. During his presidency, he faced the French hostilities in the sea and after the initial war he preferred long negotiations. He lost to Jefferson in the next election.

Andrew Jackson became a national hero in 1812, and he believed in strong presidency. He used ‘pocket veto’ to kill legislations and refused to sanction the recharter of Bank of United States. His most unpopular move cleared 100 million acres of land belonging to American natives, who were thrown out of their home and hearth. But Jackson thought it was necessary for the modernization of America. Henry Clay, who said “I would rather be right than President” was much later, voted as the country’s greatest Senator, by JFK Committee. In his days he was immensely popular and was considered to be the ‘Great Pacificator’ who held together the Union.

He was the longest serving speaker of 19th century and made the office an enormously powerful one. Muckrakers were named so, by Theodore Roosevelt. These powerful journalists uncovered the dirt in public life of America, leading to today’s investigative journalism, C. C. Regier was the most impressive of them all and their moves helped President Roosevelt in getting rid of many unwanted people. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the powerful President during the Second World War, was a handsome and magnetic figure. He was the only President, who was elected for the fourth time in America.

His inspiring leadership, his diplomatic maneuvers, his New Deal and farsighted policies made him one of the most popular Presidents of America. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, America needed a strong figure at the helm and he filled that post perfectly. When the long ailing President died, it is believed that the entire free world mourned his death. Lyndon B. Johnson was Vice President under Kennedy and succeeded him when Kennedy was assassinated. He managed the Civil Rights Bill, urged people to build a great society, and tried hard to be the people’s President.

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Even though he was never as popular as his charismatic predecessor, he won with the widest margin, only to be unpopular in Vietnam War embroilment. Franklin and Adams belonged to the 18th century when America was going through the turbulent days of colonialism and then, the uncertain independence. It was necessary to shape the conscience of the nation, mainly because, till then, Americans were looked down upon by the world as a nation of criminals escaping from punishment. Their wars against Native Americans have not made them exactly popular. Under the circumstances, both have rendered yeomen service.

Jackson, Clay and Muckrakers belonged to the 19th century, and were involved in nation building, which was the need of the hour. They had to fight their political battles, as American democracy was not yet strong and they had to bring down corruption and misuse of Government, which they did. Roosevelt and Johnson belonged to much more modern 20th century, dealing with Second World War, Communism, Cold War, space achievements and freedom of colonies. Shape of the world changed after Second World War and these Presidents tried hard to keep the international arena from being dominated by Communism.

Roosevelt was the best leader, not just among them, but also as the most powerful figure in the first half of the 20th century. He led the war, preserved liberty and democracy, because it was clear in the end that the war-weary Britain would not have managed to do so, on her own. He stood like a rock, led his reluctant nation into the turmoil, and his dealings with the allies are legendary. He had strength, moral power, right values and opportunity to utilize them. He still remains one of the shining examples of leadership.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Cunliffe, Marcus (1969), American Presidents and the Presidency, Eyre & Spottiswoode, London.