The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin: Life and Legacy

Introduction

One of the most interesting and influential figures in American history is Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was a brilliant man who contributed deeply to both the scientific and political communities. Much of what there is to know about his life can be found in Gordon S. Wood's book The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin (2004). This paper examines the life of Benjamin Franklin through that text in order to answer the following significant questions: Why was Franklin an unlikely revolutionary? What caused him to join the revolution? How does Franklin's mythology compare to his reality? Why did Franklin prefer London to Philadelphia and royal government to democracy? Why were American colonists suspicious of him? Why did his patriotism shift sides in the conflict? And how did Franklin ultimately contribute to the United States?

Franklin as an Unlikely Revolutionary

Arthur Lee wrote a strongly worded letter to Samuel Adams warning him against trusting Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's dedication to the revolution was heavily scrutinized and mistrusted by American colonists. Fortunately for Franklin, Lee's charges were never accepted by the Massachusetts Legislature, but lasting damage to his reputation had already been done. In Franklin's own mind, the love he had once held for England deteriorated the more time he spent in the colonies. Eventually, his view of his motherland was that it had become a massive war machine bent on fighting America (Wood, 2004, p. 160).

Franklin never fully committed himself to America, and even had he done so, few would have believed him given his strong ties to England. It was not until he spent considerable time in France that he finally began the process of Americanization (Wood, 2004, p. 150).

What Caused Franklin to Join the Revolution

By 1783, many colonists felt that Franklin's loyalty had shifted from England to France. This belief was easy to sustain, since Franklin was frequently involved with the French aristocracy and the French king. It was also during his time in France that he truly became Americanized and, in doing so, became a revolutionary (Wood, 2004, p. 210). To demonstrate definitively that he was a committed American, he had his commissioners enumerate all of his contributions to the country at the peace treaty negotiations of 1783.

The ultimate change in Franklin came through his dealings with England over the Stamp Act. His original motivation had been to unify the two nations, but after recognizing that this goal was unattainable, he resolved to fight for change on the side of the colonists.

Franklin's Mythology Versus His Reality

Historians have spent considerable time and effort examining the myths surrounding the founding fathers in order to understand who they truly were. This has become quite an industry, as many Americans love to glorify these historical figures. The case is somewhat different with Franklin, however. He has always been viewed as a very human figure, and therefore there is not much mythology to strip away. In fact, he was criticized by some of the other founding fathers for being too ordinary (Wood, 2004, p. 4). Wood observed that Franklin emerged from the previous century with more grounded reality than many of his counterparts. While he remains widely studied in academia, this quality did not enhance his standing among certain intellectuals. He identified strongly with the material dimensions of American life and was consequently mocked by some critics (Wood, 2004, p. 5). As John Keats also noted, there was no glamour or flair associated with Franklin — nor, for that matter, with many of the prominent American generals of the era.

Who, then, was the real Franklin of history? Gatsby's receding green light offers a fitting analogy for this historical figure (Wood, 2004, p. 9). The reality of Franklin's life was quite different from the popular image most people hold today. For example, many imagine Franklin as a penny-pinching hoarder of money. The historical Franklin, however, appeared to care little about wealth and was among the most benevolent of the founding fathers (Wood, 2004, p. 9). Even though he had a prominent and celebrated career in science, he believed public service to be the highest calling — and so he spent the remainder of what might have been a comfortable retirement serving his fellow citizens.

References

Wood, G. (2004). The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. Penguin Books.