Benjamin Franklin’s personality and his contribution to the country’s development were chosen for the final project. Franklin went down in history not only as one of the founding fathers of the United States but also as a scientist and thinker endowed with various knowledge and talents, a pragmatist and promoter of the ideals of humanism, and a writer and a diplomat. Primarily due to this, already during his lifetime, he became a symbol of the new America. Thus, studying this versatile personality is significant for understanding the characteristics of the American Enlightenment.
In the 18th century, the population and economy of the British colonies in North America grew rapidly, and a new nation was formed with its own socio-economic, political, cultural, and linguistic realities that distinguished it from the peoples of Europe. The United States of America, the first independent state in the Western Hemisphere, was created. These momentous changes were brought about by the active participation of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), whose life spanned much of the Age of Enlightenment.
The 18th century also brought significant changes to the spiritual, intellectual, and social life of America. According to Wilkinson (2022), the old ideas and beliefs were not rejected but rethought and reformulated under the scientific and philosophical views of the Age of Reason. The American Enlightenment of the 18th century was a social movement closely associated with the national liberation movement and the American Revolution. The main goals of the Enlightenment were to replace tradition with a rational approach, absolute religious dogmas with scientific research, and monarchy with representative power (Schaller et al., 2020). The thinkers and writers of the Enlightenment defended the ideals of justice, freedom, and equality, considering them as inalienable human rights. A vivid embodiment of the reorientation of American thought and the Enlightenment is the personality of Benjamin Franklin.
The significance of the critical changes that took place in the 18th century in the country and the role of Benjamin Franklin in the history of the United States indicate the relevance and importance of studying those events and processes that are connected by visible and invisible threads with many phenomena in the life of modern society. The latter circumstance, and the fact that the United States is now persistently claiming global leadership and the right to decide the fate of the world, increase interest in the initial pages of American history.
The American Enlightenment was filled with many colossal events in US history. Among them are the acquisition of political and spiritual independence, the birth of a young republic, the formation of the American nation, and the first conscious attempts to create a national identity. The key figure in these events was Benjamin Franklin, an educator, scientist, statesman, and public figure, leader of the revolutionary movement in America, and one of the authors of the US Declaration of Independence and the 1787 Constitution. Thus, this great personality’s activities significantly contributed to the history of the United States.
Benjamin Franklin made an incredible contribution to American history through his actions, ideas, and efforts as a politician, musician, writer, inventor, naturalist, social activist, and journalist.
References
Elliott, C. A. (2021). History of science in the United States: A chronology and research guide. Garland Science.
Gunderson, J. (2019). The real Benjamin Franklin: The truth behind the legend. Compass Point Books.
Hart, D. G. (2021). Benjamin Franklin: cultural protestant. Oxford University Press.
Schaller, M., Greenwood, J. T., Kirk, A., Sheehan-Dean, A., Purcell, S. J., & Snyder, C. (2020). American Horizons: U.S. history in a global context (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Wilkinson, H. (2022). A New Attribution to Benjamin Franklin. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 146(1), 1-25.