Benjamin Franklin: The Ideal American and His Lasting Legacy

Introduction: Franklin as the Ideal American

Benjamin Franklin is considered by many to be one of the greatest Americans to ever live, and is also held as an important pillar of America's national heritage. Some may also argue that he exemplifies the American Dream and all that is truly American. As the son of a candlemaker and having received only a minimal formal education, Benjamin Franklin was not limited by his modest background. Instead, he used his dedication and determination to master many disciplines in his quest for success. Throughout his life, Benjamin Franklin took on the roles of statesman, philanthropist, inventor, revolutionary, publisher, and philosopher. In regards to his personal and political ideologies and achievements, Benjamin Franklin epitomized the Ideal American.

Early Life, Work Ethic, and the American Dream

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706. He was the fifteenth of seventeen children born to an English candlemaker and soap boiler who had emigrated to America twenty years prior in search of religious freedom. Since Benjamin Franklin was so fond of reading as a young child, his father decided that he was to become a printer. He began his career as a printer at the age of twelve, when he apprenticed under his older brother James. He eventually took over the printing business from his brother and worked diligently to run it himself.

The Governor recognized the drive and work ethic present in Franklin and therefore provided the money for him to finance his own business. The Governor suggested that Franklin travel to London to acquire his printing equipment and develop English acquaintances. After two years in England, Franklin arrived back in America as a skilled printer. Upon his return, he traveled to Philadelphia to start up a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, which would eventually allow him to acquire great wealth.

Benjamin Franklin believed that the only way to gain true wealth was through a commitment to hard work. He also believed that wealth was accessible to everyone — that all people were equal and afforded the same opportunities to realize the American Dream. What exactly is the American Dream? Benjamin Franklin saw it as the realization of goals that enable equality, liberty, and freedom.

Industry, Independence, and Free Enterprise

Benjamin Franklin saw the importance of industry and the dangers of procrastination. This is evident in The Way to Wealth, in which he wrote: "sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy"; "early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"; "one today is worth two tomorrows"; and "have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today." Franklin valued the opportunity for free enterprise and believed that those who are productive are blessed, as expressed in his statement, "God gives all things to industry." The capitalist, democratic system presently observed in the United States, as well as much of the present-day Western world, was built upon the principles established by Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin also valued the importance of independence. He states: "But with our industry, we must likewise be steady, settled and careful, and oversee our own affairs with our own eyes, and not trust too much to others." He also states, in reference to debt and credit, that "the borrower is a slave to the lender and the debtor to the creditor, disdain the chain, preserve your freedom; and maintain your independency: be industrious and free; be frugal and free." It is evident through these statements that Benjamin Franklin equated freedom with wealth and the absence of poverty. The way to achieve this freedom is through industry, hard work, and reliance only on one's self. It was through thriftiness and hard work that Franklin acquired wealth and prosperity.