156).
The shift Franklin made from a man dedicated to the alliance of England and America to a man who embraced the American cause has been a puzzle for historians for a long time, and Wood tries to provide some answers to the questions raised. He had entrusted his Autobiography and other papers to his friend Joseph Galloway when he had to go to France, but Galloway kept to the British side and fled to England, leaving the papers behind, which is how Abel acquired them. Other friends of like mind did much the same. Only Franklin from this group changed his view and adopted the American cause, in effect being Americanized.
Wood makes it clear that the choice was a difficult one for Franklin. He was loyal to England, and he would become fiercely loyal to America. The break with the one before the dedication to the other took a good deal of time as Franklin struggled with the change coming over him. His first sign of dissension with England came when he questioned the authority of Parliament in America. Franklin spent years in England and experienced a good deal of stress as his attitudes changed and as he felt less and less welcome in England.
Wood depicts Franklin's life as a series of turning points at which he had to make a decision on what to make of his life after that. The final shift noted is the one to American patriot,...
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. According to Panesar (2004), Franklin was the most famous people across the world during his lifetime. Franklin was a literary author who happened to be involved in politics, having a special place in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Studies have shown that Franklin was a leading figure in the American Revolution, where, he served in the Second Continental Congress as
Americanization of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin played a major role in the American Revolution and its history and his contributions changed the history of America as we know it. One of the most interesting and influential characters in American history is Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was a brilliant man that contributed deeply to both the scientific and political community. Much of what there is to know about his life can be found
Franklin's constantly being out of sync with his colleagues is seen once again in Franklin's inability to understand that the next logical progress of his republicanism was liberal democracy. Thus, as the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, Franklin was unable to anticipate and comprehend the factionalism that was beginning to dominate the American political climate. On the contrary, Franklin even made the wrong political call by viewing liberalism
Historians are interested in a multitude of forces of influences that have led to the creation of the present status-quo and the history professors are focused on presenting those particular forces in a way that is understanding and relevant to the citizens of the contemporaneous society. 3. Does knowing our history even matter? Definitely yes! In the words of the author, "Because human development is a continuous process in which the
So who is an American and what an America can or cannot do are questions which are critical to the issue of legalizing immigrants. Does being an American mean you cannot show allegiance to any other country? The images of people raising and waving Mexican flag had enraged many but it need not have. It should be accepted that people who come from different countries would forever hold in their
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now