Benjamin Franklin

The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the websites on Ben Franklin’s biography and his autobiography. While disseminating the life of Benjamin Franklin through his autobiography, one learns much about the man. However when disseminating information found in the three websites below, another man slowly creeps out from behind the man already revealed. Which one is the real Benjamin Franklin? While observing the cornucopia of a man one learns that only by the process of comparing and contrasting will one be able to fix a solid face on the man we call Benjamin Franklin.

All the websites addressed in this paper share common subject matter yet are different in terms of analytical approach and main focus. The biography by Edmund S. Morgan calls upon the reader to reconsider traditional assumptions about Benjamin Franklin and move away from standardized cliches. While he is best known as the author of the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the Constitution, these weren’t his main achievements; furthermore, the documents (with the exception of the Declaration of Independence) didn’t reflect his views and beliefs.

However, this shouldn’t lead to the conclusion that Franklin was a not-so-important figure in the American history. Rather than that, the author suggests that Franklin should be applauded for other achievement and traits of character: ‘His was probably the most brilliant mind that most people who knew him had ever met, but he seldom showed it in public…[H]is mind would be quietly at work, trying to understand the world and the people he found in it, thinking of ways to make their lives easier’ (Morgan, 2005, para. 4). Edmund S.

Morgan believes that one of the major contributions of Benjamin Franklin was through his writings. Also, more attention should be paid to Franklin’s role as an advocate for American interests in England. In general, the biography tries to present a softer side of Franklin’s personality: ‘It may be well at first to dispel the image of him as an overweight scholar peering from his desk over the bifocal glasses he invented’ (Morgan, 2005, para. 8). PBS website also tries to reveal Ben Franklin’s personality to the readers. The website focuses on multiple identities Franklin possessed — both as a public figure and personality.

The website glorifies Franklin as Abolitionist, Almanac maker, Advertiser, Balloon enthusiast, Bifocals inventor, Composer, Cartoonist, Civic Citizen, Chess Player, Deist, Diplomat, Daylight Savings advocate, Enlightenment thinker, Electricity pioneer, Experimenter, Entrepreneur, Founding Father, Flirt, Fire fighter, Glass Armonica creator, Gulf Stream mapper, Genius, Humorist, Health nut, Inventor, International celebrity, Insurer, Junto creator, Journalist, Kite flyer, Librarian, Lightning rod inventor, Londoner, Medical Engineer, Militia member, Mathematician, Mason, Natural philosopher, Organizer (militia, fire dept.

, street cleaning), Odometer maker, Printer, Public relations master, Publisher, Prankster, Questioner, Quartermaster, Quintessential American, Revolutionary, Reader, Scientist, Swimmer, Self-made man, Traveler, Treaty signer, University builder, Volunteer, Visionary, Vegetarian (temporarily), Writer, Weight lifter, Xenophile, Young prodigy, Yankee, Yarn spinner, and Zealot. Perhaps the most interesting out of all these epithets is ‘Quintessential American.

’ The website tries to paint a picture of Franklin as a typical representative of the American nation and a symbol of all its virtues and achievements, such as Self-education, Physical Activity, and Moral Perfection. At the same time, the website acknowledges that Benjamin Franklin was no ordinary man, since he possessed outstanding qualities and skills. It is suggested that Ben Franklin helped define the concept of ‘good citizenship’ through his involvement in and commitment to community on the local level and the nation on the global level:

‘Ben Franklin believed that people volunteering together in a spirit of cooperation could accomplish great things. Driven by a strong sense of civic duty, he involved himself in his community and his nation’ (PBS, 2002, ‘Citizen Ben,’ para. 1). The website presents Franklin’s biography in an interactive and engaging way without compromising accuracy and objectivity. The only limitation of this resource is that the information is not well-structured and far from presenting a comprehensive picture.

The third website present the most, in my opinion, consistent and informative version of Franklin’s biography. It is structured according to the major periods of Franklin’s life, i. e. ‘Humble Beginnings: Franklin in Boston,’ ‘A True Journeyman: Franklin in Philadelphia,’ ‘A Promise Unfulfilled: Franklin in London,’ ‘Sprouting Roots: Back in Philadelphia,’ ‘A Busy Retirement,’ and ‘The American Patriot: Franklin and Independence.

’ Each section of the biography presents all the necessary information without going into unnecessary detail. Another compelling feature of this biography is that it is accompanied with abundant graphical aid. Yet it would be a mistake to say that ThinkQuest presents a dry and scholarly biography of Benjamin Franklin; it offers human touch through little entertaining details about this great man:

‘Inspired by his namesake uncle Benjamin, young Ben composed historical ballads (one was about the pirate Blackbeard) that were printed by his brother James in his fledgling print shop. The poems sold well’ (ThinkQuest, 1998, ‘Interesting Facts’). In order to determine how credible a certain piece of information is, it is necessary to analyze the source of this information in terms of legitimacy and possible bias. Edmund S. Morgan is a well-established historian specializing in early colonial history of America:

‘Edmund Morgan has authored dozens of books on Puritan and early colonial history, which are acclaimed for both their scholarly focus and their appeal to a general audience… Morgan, who joined the Yale faculty in 1955 and retired in 1986, has received many…honors during his long teaching career at Yale…Currently the chair of the board of The Benjamin Franklin Papers—the University’s massive project publishing materials related to the Founding Father and inventor—Morgan is now at work on a study of Franklin, who, he believes, is one of the most interesting people who ever lived’ (Gonzalez, 2001).

However, excessive admiration with Benjamin Franklin might come as a detriment to impartiality and objectivity — the two essential characteristics of any biographical writing. PBS website has little bias of this kind, however, it is often unclear where the information they are using comes from. There are no references or acknowledgements; no links to any works of Franklin or credible historical evidence is present. While Edmund S. Morgan extensively refers to Franklin’s own works, PBS website presents a simplified and pared-down version of Franklin biography. ThinkQuest is the only website that cites its references in an appropriate way.

The authors of the biography acknowledge that they based their writing on such publications as Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren, The Man Who Dared the Lightning-A New Look at Benjamin Franklin by Thomas Fleming, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Ben Franklin Laughing by P. M. Zall, Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father and Inventor by Leila Merrell Foster, and a number of other books and media resources. ThinkQuest is also an interesting information resource since it provides a sound general overview of the historical conditions existing in America in Franklin’s times.

The website offers definition of different historical phenomena that are important for the general narrative, such as King George I, French and Indian War (1754-1763), and other. All the biographies present a certain picture of colonial America: through the life career of Benjamin Franklin, it is possible to understand tense relations between Europe and America, heated debate around the issue of slavery, and the rise of American identity and civil consciousness. However, the most credible source of information on Franklin’s life and times is his autobiography.

This autobiography is of great relevance to the modern reader, and not merely for the reason that it provides an insight into the life of Benjamin Franklin. In his autobiography, Franklin shares his thoughts as to the organization of state and society, role of the citizens, position of America on the world’s stage and other matters of great interest and importance even for the modern reader. For example, he expresses concerns over the clash between religion and civil notion of citizenship, as he recollects that English were trying to plant certain religious ideas in America:

‘[S]ince not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc’d, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens (Franklin, 2003, p. 66). ‘As for additional and types of sources, that would give greater confidence in your understanding Franklin, it is necessary to mention Franklin’s writings in the first place. As Edmund S. Morgan (2005, para. 5) correctly points out, ‘[i]n the awesome bulk of his papers, equivalent of 47 fat volumes of print, all available on this website, we can see Franklin whole.

’ Additional insight can be gained from reviewing resources dedicated to the American colonial history: greater understanding of conditions and developments of that era can aid the process of enhancing knowledge about Benjamin Franklin as a statesman, scientist, and outstanding public figure. References Franklin, Benjamin. (2003). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Touchstone. Gonzalez, Susan. (January 12, 2001). ‘Edmund S. Morgan: Sterling Professor Emeritus. ’ Retrieved September 5, 2007, from http://www.

yale. edu/history/faculty/morgan. html Morgan, Edmund S. (2005). ‘Introduction to the Papers of Benjamin Franklin. ’ Retrieved September 5, 2007, from http://www. franklinpapers. org/franklin/framedMorgan. jsp;jsessionid=86AD99C9931B8DF535D2C1CD6A1E6923 PBS. (2002). ‘Benjamin Franklin. ’ Retrieved September 5, 2007, from http://www. pbs. org/benfranklin/ ThinkQuest. (1998). ‘The Biography of Benjamin Franklin. ’ Retrieved September 5, 2007, from http://library. thinkquest. org/22254/home. htm

Benjamin Franklin will always be one of America’s greatest influential leaders. He’s known for his tremendous contributions in the world of politics, science, philosophy, among others. His discoveries and theories in electricy made him a significant figure in physics. During the American revolution, Franklin was able to secure the French alliance making independence a reality. Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706. According to Houston (2004), Franklin took his knowledge in printing from his older brother and became a newspaper editor, printer and merchant in Philadelphia.

He published Poor Richard’s Almanac and the Pennsylvania Gazette during his stint in England (Houston, 2004). When in the united States, he is behind the establishment of the first public lending library and fire department. Benjamin went to Boston Latin School but was not able to graduate instead, he continued his education through tremendous reading. When he was 17 years old, Franklin went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to seek a new start in a new city. There he worked in several printer shops.

After several months, Franklin was persuaded by Pennsylvania Governor Sir William Keith to go to London, purposely to achieve the necessary equipment for establishing another newspaper in Philadelphia. He returned to Philadelphia in 1726 with the help of a merchant named Thomas Denham, who gave Franklin a position as clerk, shopkeeper, and bookkeeper in Denham’s merchant business. The Author, Inventor, Philosopher, National Hero, etc. A person’s character was so important to Franklin. To cultivate his own character, he developed thirteen virtues at the age of 20 which became his guiding principles all throughout his life.

These virtues, as mentioned in Houston’s book (2004) as well as other references on the life and works of Franklin, are lested below with their corresponding meanings: 1. Temperance which he meant as to eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation. 2. Silence is the next virtue which goes to mean that speak not but what may benefit others or yourself, avoid trifling conversation. 3. The virtue of Order directly means, let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 4. Resolution.

Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself. What he wanted everyone to understand was to waste nothing. 6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. 8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty. ” 9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation. 11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable. 12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation. 13. And the last virtue is Humility wherein he emphasized that we should imitate jesus and Socrates who according to him were the greatest examples of people who practiced humility. These virtues are indeed powerful and may be adopted by anyone.

They were purposely created by franklin to make a person’s character stronger. Among other things, Franklin was so fascinated in science and technology. Famous from his line of inventions attached to his name are the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, catheter, swimfins, glass harmonica and bifocals. His contributions in electricity earned him recognitions such as the one from the Royal Society’s Copley Medal in 1753 and in 1756 he became one of the few eighteenth century Americans to be elected as a Fellow of the Society.

The cgs unit of electric charge has been named after him: one franklin (Fr) is equal to one statcoulomb. Steven M. Gillon and Cathy D. Matson (2003) illustrated that franklin also played a major role with the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania and Franklin and Marshall College. In fact, in 1769 he was elected the first president of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Perhaps, the most lasting legacy of Benjamin Franklin is the appearance of his image in the American $100 bill.

These days, $100 bills are often referred to as “Benjamins” or “Franklins” as mentioned by authors Gillon and Matson (2003). The city of Philadelphia is a living tribute to Franklin with about 5,000 likenesses of Benjamin Franklin in the city’s various areas. When he returned to the United States in 1762 after his stay in London, Franklin became actively involved in the Paxton Boys’ affair, writing a sarcastic attack on their massacre of Christian American Indians and eventually asking them to break up.

A lot of the Paxton Boys’ supporters were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and German Reformed or Lutherans from the rural west of Pennsylvania, leading to allegations that Franklin was biased in favor of the urban Quaker elite of the East (Gillon and Matson 2003). These attacks led to Franklin losing a seat in the 1764 Assembly elections. This occasion became an opportunity for him to return to London earning the reputation of being a pro-American radical. Houston (2004) noted that Franklin was dispatched to England as an agent for the colony in 1764 to petition the King to take over the government from the hands of the proprietors.

This visit would also become instrumental in becoming the colonial agent for Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. While he was living in London in 1768, he improved a phonetic alphabet in A Scheme for a new Alphabet and a Reformed Mode of Spelling. This new format discarded six letters which he believed were redundant and substituted six new letters for sounds he felt lacked letters of their own; however, his new alphabet never caught on and he eventually lost interest. When Franklin arrived in Philadelphia on May 5, the American Revolution has been going on with battles at Lexington and Concord.

With this development, he was chosen by the Pennsylvania Assembly as their official delegate to the Second Continental Congress (Gillon and Matson 2003). Then In 1776 he became a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence and was part of the group responsible in making several small changes to Thomas Jefferson’s draft. In 1787 he served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia where he played an dignified role, but seldom participated in debate.

Franklin, according to Houston (2004) is the only Founding Father who is a signatory of all four of the major documents of the founding of the United States which include the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and the United States Constitution. Benjamin Franklin died at the age of 84 in April 17, 1790. His funeral was historically graced by about 20,000 people (Gillon and Matson 2003). He was laid to his final resting place at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This is actually the same church which is also the home of Benjamin Rush. One of the houses he lived in Craven Street was previously marked with a blue plaque, and has since been opened to the public as the Benjamin Franklin House which has attracted tourists from across the globe. In 1728, according to Gillon and Matson (2003) when he was just a young man, Franklin wrote the following words to be his own epitaph: “The Body of B. Franklin Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms.

But the Work shall not be wholly lost: For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and Amended By the Author. He was born on January 17, 1706. Died 17. ” But in his will, Franklin’s actual grave simply reads “Benjamin and Deborah Franklin. ” Works Cited: Alan Houston, ed. Franklin: The Autobiography and other Writings on Politics, Economics, and Virtue. Cambridge U. Press, 2004. 371 pp. Steven M. Gillon and Cathy D. Matson. The American Experiment: A History of the United States, Volume II: Since 1865 (Boston: Houghton Mif

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”-Benjamin Franklin. The non-fiction novel, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, by Walter Isaacson, is one of New York Times Bestseller. A few icons Isaacson has covered in his biographies are: Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

This biography specifically focuses on the 84-year life of Benjamín Franklin. Franklin went through so many roles throughout his entire life. He went from a writer, to a scientist, and all the way to the man who shaped the national identity of America. He was born in Boston on January 17th, 1706. Franklin started off in Boston, ran away to Philadelphia, moved to London and then, came back to Philadelphia again and bought the Pennsylvania Gazette.

His professional life started off by writing anonymous stories on political, humorous and social topics. Franklin married Deborah Read in 1730, who supported him throughout every obstacle of his life. His travels included new interactions with people that eventually become his enemies, or great friends in the future years. Then, his area of focus shifted to the field of science. Such as his kite and lightning experiment conducted in 1752, which brought about a major part of our life; electricity.

Throughout the rest of his years Franklin took on political views and helped shape America. Walter Isaacson did an incredible job covering the life of Benjamin Franklin. The New York Times Book Review states, “A thoroughly researched, crisply written, convincingly argued chronicle.” If one was to give this book a rating it should be 5/5 stars. Every chapter grabs the reader’s attention within a few sentences. If one was to read this book, they would feel like their traveling alongside of Benjamin Franklin throughout his life. This book is everything that the cover suggests.

Walter Isaacson maintained skillful organization throughout his writing. He maintained the same writing style throughout the entire book, which is important for the purpose of not making the reader confused. In each chapter, Isaacson used the topic, location and a time frame. By establishing the specific setting, the reader is better able to contextualize the subject matter. For example, the name of a section in chapter 10 was The Stamp Act of 1765.

The section started off by stating, “…..March 1765 of his safe arrival in London……….Franklin was about to become embroiled in a controversy over the notorious Stamp Act, which would require a tax stamp on every newspaper, book, almanac, legal document, and deck of cards.’ (page 222 paragraph 1).

The location and date help a reader to understand the upcoming information in the chapter. Isaacson included every little aspect of Franklin’s life. The outline of the book is a chronological re-telling of Franklin’s life work. Perhaps the reader can better appreciate how Franklin emerged from a nobody, to a major player in the creation of the first democratic republic. While he told his story, Isaacson included some pieces from other references too.

By utilizing another source, the author supports his own argument. For example, in chapter seven section Catherine Ray states, “Claude-Anne Lopez, a former editor of the Franklin Papers project at Yale, has spent years researching his private life…analysis of the type of relationships…..” Isaacson used these types of sources to establish proof for some points that he made, regarding topics on relationships, political affairs and much more.

Isaacson mainly adds all the important characters that were part of Franklin’s life. The characters included were his family members, far away relatives, wife, children, illegitimate children, closest friends, and many women that he always kept in touch with. For example, Walter Isaacson included William Franklin. He was the illegitimate son that was raised by Benjamin Franklin and was later appointed royal governor of New Jersey.

The author did not include this to tarnish Franklin’s reputation, but he added it to build onto the credibility of his characters. It portrayed how Franklin accepted the mistakes he made in life and was not always perfect. Whenever there was a topic with Franklin’s interaction with other characters, Isaacson added a personal letter that Franklin had written to them. This gave a huge insider and an up-close look into his life.

For example, in chapter ten section Sally and Richard Bache it states, “…. I can only say that if he proves a good husband to her, and a good son to me, he shall find me as good a father as I can be.”(Page 236). This letter helped explain the relationship between Deborah and Franklin and his outlook towards the marriage of his daughter. Letters help to gain more information about any surrounding problems and the relationship in-between characters. This book would be very useful for AP students when they must write about someone or need a personal point of view on political or social topics.

This book includes references from so many other writers who have also written something about Franklin. Quotes were taken from Franklin’s personal autobiography and there were insiders to his letters and personal life. For example, in chapter 6 section Retirement it states, ” again.” (page 128 paragraph 2).

Quotes portray how a certain topic had a deep impact on a person. Honestly speaking, anyone one who was read this book would be shocked to find out that, many of our appliances that we use in our everyday lives came from Franklin’s inventions. Electricity being the most important and many other things that we also use. The theme that the author held throughout the entire book was very helpful because, all the events were put in chronological order.

The authors aim was to inform the reader about the life of Franklin, and he achieved that throughout his detailed writing. As the Washington Post Book World states, “The most readable full-length Franklin biography available.” Getting comments like these from high posts is a big thing. Isaacson also uses a very thoughtful idea of putting titles within sections of the chapter. As in the title of Chapter 13 is Courtier Paris, 1776-1778 and the name of the first section is The World’s Most Famous American.

This was a new idea that many biographies don’t often use. Every chapter was an attention grabber that either posed information about history or talked about the flirtatious relationships in Franklin’s life. Overall the book was a success because, the subject of the book was to inform the reader about the life of Fraklin, which was accomplished by Walter Isaacson.

The important thing to note about a book is if it follows a logical order or not. This book not only has a logical order but also a chronological one. It’s easily read because, of the smooth transitions from paragraph to paragraph and the sequence of topics being in logical order. The author organizes Franklin’s life in very detailed chapters. Each chapter specifically targets every aspect of his life. Isaacson did not exaggerate a topic or go straight to the point.

The entire book went deep into his life and touched on the topics very well. While reading, one would feel the same emotions as Franklin would be feeling. One should definitely read this book because Walter Isaacson does a wonderful job in portraying the life of Benjamin Franklin from birth to death.