How Ben Franklin Exemplified the American Dream

Franklin and the American Dream

Ben Franklin exemplified the sense that if a man just worked hard enough, he could obtain prosperity in America. This abundant gaining of the fruit of one's labor is what became known as "The American Dream." Franklin was certainly a proponent of this dream, as is evident in his Autobiography. This paper will show how Franklin's Autobiography marks him as a man who had a large impact on the formation of the essence of the American Dream.

Franklin's life is one that shows how a young man can arrive in a big city without any money in his pocket and how with the application of his knowledge of a trade can set about amassing his fortune. That is what Franklin did, when he arrived in Philadelphia at the age of 17 after passing through "a squall that tore our rotten sails to pieces" (Franklin 17). The squall represents all the turmoil that a person must overcome in order to succeed and by going through this storm on his way to the job opportunity waiting for him in Philadelphia, Franklin showed that he was up to the task.

As Franklin notes, he "immediately got into work at Palmer's, then a famous printing-house in Bartholomew Close," which is significant because it shows that Franklin did not take work at the first place to come along but rather at a prominent business (Franklin 32). Here he decided to exercise his talents, and he began writing "a little metaphysical piece" on "Liberty, Necessity, Pleasure and Pain" (Franklin 32-33). Through the pamphleteering of his ides, Ben Franklin began to make a name for himself in this part of the world. He began conversing with other erudite gentlemen and soon was learning all there was to know about his new location. He moved to a new job, thinking he was leaving printing behind, but always open to the course of events, he never fully closed any door.

In this manner, Franklin exemplified the American quality of picking oneself up by one's boot straps and making something of oneself. Franklin was industrious and alert at every stage of his development and soon returned to printing. He used his sharp wit and sense of nature to win a loyal following of readers, ensuring his success. Yet his acumen as a tradesman helped him at every step of the way as well. He was loyal and affectionate with his friends and always sought to do right by everyone yet never allowed himself to be dupe of knaves or imposters. Thus, he made the American Dream an American Reality for himself because he essentially kept his wits about him, as he describes in scene after scene of his Autobiography. With the publication of his Almanac, Franklin was a verified success story and evidence that anyone so long as he put his nose to the grindstone could be a success too.