Benefits of Work according to Ben Franklin

Work Ethic: Douglass and Franklin

Introduction

Although they lived in different centuries and had very different backgrounds, Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin share many similarities. Both men were born into humble beginnings but rose to become widely respected leaders. They were both self-educated and used their writing talents to further their causes. And both men were tireless advocates for the rights of others, whether it was Douglass fighting for the freedom of all Americans or Franklin working to secure civil rights for African Americans. In many ways, these two great men were ahead of their times, and their legacy continues to inspire people today. This paper will explore what both men thought about work ethic, how they envisioned it, and what it meant to them, as can be seen in their respective autobiographies and other works like “Self-Made Men” and “Way to Wealth.”

What is the Self-Made Man?

Douglass states quite clearly in “Self-Made Men” that “Self-made men are the men who, under peculiar difficulties and without the ordinary helps of favoring circumstances, have attained knowledge, usefulness, power and position and  have learned from themselves the best uses to which life can be put in this world, and in the exercises of these uses to build up worthy character.” Yet he also acknowledges that no man is ever truly independent of those around him or of those who have come before. In his opening to the address, Douglass clarifies this point, stating that

We have all either begged, borrowed, or stolen. We have reaped where others have sown, and that which others have strown, we have gathered. It must in truth be said, though it may not accord well with self-conscious individuality and self-conceit, that no possible native force of character, and no depth of wealth and originality, can lift a man into absolute independence of his fellowmen, and no generation of men can be independent of the preceding generation. The brotherhood and interdependence of mankind are guarded and defended at all points. 

These two statements taken together help to represent an important recognition that Douglass makes, for it shows how self-made men have a work ethic that rises above the ordinary, but that they are also dependent upon some degree to the labor of others who have either come before or who are working alongside them at the same time. In short, work ethic is vital and necessary if one is going to succeed—but one must be honest about the fact that no one ever has or ever will succeed wholly on his own or due to his own merits.

Douglass further underscores this point in both his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and “Self-Made Men,” when he discusses the importance of work and its rewards. In the Narrative, Douglass describes how work was a central part of his life as a slave. He was often forced to work long hours in grueling conditions, with little rest or respite. However, despite the difficulties, he found that work could be a source of pride and satisfaction. It was through his hard work that he was able to gain skills and knowledge that helped him to eventually escape from slavery. In “Self-Made Men,” Douglass expands on these ideas, discussing how work can help individuals to improve their social and economic status. He argues that through hard work, people can lift themselves up out of poverty and create better lives for themselves and their families. In both works, then, Douglass emphasizes the importance of work as a means of achieving success in life.

Franklin and the Way to Wealth

This position of Douglass is really not that much different from the position of Ben Franklin, as is made clear in his Autobiography and his pamphlet “The Way to Wealth.” In both his Autobiography and his pamphlet, Franklin discusses the importance of work and its rewards. In the Autobiography, he lays the foundation of work ethic with the following anecdote:

In the evening, when the workmen were gone, I assembled a number of my play-fellows, and working with them diligently like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, we brought them all away and built our little wharff. The next morning the workmen were surprised at missing the stones, which were found in our wharff. Inquiry was made after the removers; we were discovered and complained of; several of us were corrected by our fathers; and though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, mine convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest (Franklin 9).

The features of this work ethic are dedication and commitment but also honesty. The ethic is there to work and succeed at a young age, but as his father points out one must work at something ethically—that is, honestly. Throughout the Autobiography it is apparent that such a work ethic is ultimately what leads to Franklin’s success.

Likewise, in “The Way to Wealth,” Franklin makes a similar argument, implying that virtue must be the bedrock of all hard work, and stating that “we are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly.” He rails against sloth, which he sees as a disease and a vice: “Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used key is always bright” (Franklin). He goes on to say that those who are lazy will never prosper, no matter how much natural talent they may possess. Work, according to Franklin, is essential for both achieving success and maintaining it. Indeed, in his Autobiography, he lists several virtues that he deems important and as implicitly part of a good work ethic: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility (Franklin 54).

The Meaning of Work

For both Douglass and Franklin, work was important. For Douglass, work was a key part of his journey to freedom; through his labor, he was able to gain the skills and knowledge that allowed him to escape from slavery. For Franklin, work was what enabled him to build up his empire and become such a significant person in American history; it was a kind of civic duty, moreover, that allowed one to contribute to the greater good of society.

Both men saw work as a way to improve one’s station in life, but they had different views on what it meant to be a hard worker. Douglass believed that hard work led to personal liberation, while Franklin saw it as a way to serve others. Despite their different perspectives, both men agreed that work was an essential part of living a successful and meaningful life.

Work ethic is ultimately a belief that work is good in itself and worthy of effort regardless of the rewards—but both Douglass and Franklin believed that if one puts in the work, the rewards will be great. Neither ever held the view that if one puts in the time one will regret it. Work is a reward in itself because it actually leads to rewards, to improvement, and to success.

Success through Virtue, Hard Work, and Effort

For Franklin, the underlying base of a good work ethic is virtue, which is why he takes the time to describe so many virtues that he sought to acquire in his Autobiography. The virtues are temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility all helped to shape Franklin’s work ethic and contribute to his success in various endeavors. For example, his commitment to silence and industry allowed him to focus intently on his work, while his sense of justice informed his political activism. In addition, Franklin’s belief in the importance of humility led him to always seek out feedback and learn from his mistakes. Ultimately, it was these virtues that helped to make Benjamin Franklin one of the most accomplished men of his generation.

For Douglass, it was a devotion to lifting himself up through hard work and effort that served as the basis of his work ethic. Douglass also believed in strong intellectual pursuits as well. Douglass believed that without a struggle, there could be no progress. Throughout his life, Douglass was driven by a powerful work ethic that helped him to overcome numerous obstacles. As a child, he was determined to learn to read and write, even though it was against the law for slaves to do so. This desire for knowledge led him to take brave and sometimes dangerous risks, such as sneaking around at night to read books by the light of the moon. His hard work paid off; he eventually became one of the most famous abolitionists and writers of his time. Douglass’s example demonstrates that through dedication and perseverance, anyone can achieve their goals.

How the Two Compare

Both men believed that hard work was essential to success in life, and they both emphasized the importance of being diligent and honest in one's endeavors. They also both believed that work should be enjoyable and that it should be its own reward. In their own lives, both men pursued their passions and found great satisfaction in their work. As a result, they were able to achieve remarkable things and leave a lasting legacy. Though they came from different worlds, Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin shared many of the same attitudes towards work and its rewards.

However, as Douglass explains in his autobiography, his early years were spent in brutal slavery, where he was denied even the most basic rights and freedoms. He and many others were forced to work long hours, and any hope of earning a fair wage or improving his situation was effectively crushed because of the peculiar institution and the prejudice that existed at the time. Work was forced—labor was required—and yet the personal benefits of one’s own labor were denied to one.

In contrast, as Franklin recounts in his own autobiography, it was a different story if one was white. One’s labor was one’s own, and one could benefit from one’s own work so long as it was honest. Franklin was in a much better position to become a self-made man than Douglass was—and yet this poor positioning, so to speak, did not prevent Douglass from doubling down on hard work in order to better himself. Douglass dug into reading and writing and learning so as to improve his mind—because he knew that if he was going to have any chance to become a self-made man it was going to have to be through intellectual pursuits.

Likewise, for Franklin, as he notes in his autobiography, he began his working life as a humble printer’s apprentice. However, he quickly realized that he had the opportunity to improve his lot through hard work and dedication. He eventually became a successful businessman, and his diligence was rewarded with both wealth and respect. Douglass, too, won respect as a speaker, thinker, and writer—but he often remarked on the double-standard that still plagued America and how unfair it was for some to have all the access to education while others were denied it. Franklin extolled the virtues of hard work and the virtues needed to be a hard worker. Douglass took the opportunity that came with his success to rebuke American leaders and argue for greater justice for blacks. Thus, while both Douglass and Franklin achieved great things, their experiences with work and its rewards really could not have been more different.

Nonetheless, they are both in agreement on one thing: as Douglass puts it in “Self-Made Men,” “opportunity is important but exertion is indispensable.” This means that it helps to have the opportunity to succeed, but it matters not at all if one has the opportunity or not if one does not actually exert oneself to succeed. Further on in the speech, Douglass makes his meaning even clearer: a work ethic must be supported by all one has for—“Without culture there can be no growth; without exertion, no acquisition; without friction, no polish; without labor, no knowledge; without action, no progress and without conflict, no victory. A man that lies down a fool at night, hoping that he will waken wise in the morning, will rise up in the morning as he laid down in the evening” (Douglass).

Douglass shows as much in his next lines when he states that “we may explain success mainly by one word and that word is WORK! WORK!! WORK!!! WORK!!!!” The forcefulness with which he emphasizes this one word really says all one needs to know on the subject. Douglass is as much a believer in hard work as is Franklin. So it is no small wonder why both men continue to be honored so much by the bulk of Americans.

Indeed, Franklin is no different and spends virtually the whole of his autobiography talking about all the things he worked hard at. Work appears in his Autobiography over 90 times, which is about one time for every page. In short, Franklin is as much focused on work as is Douglass in their overall ideas and approaches to life. Work is what makes all the difference in one’s station.