RichardJolly
10-06-2014, 12:54 AM
I'm writing an analytical essay for an English class about the cultural and political characteristics of revolutionary America based on the works of Ben Franklin, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine. Of these I am required to use exactly three authors.
Writing about Franklin was easy (I will post the rough draft below feel free to give me some constructive criticism), and I'm pretty sure my second author will be Thomas Paine, but now I need help brain storming a few characteristics about one of the other 3. To me none of them represent american Ideals the way BF and TP do.
Thanks in advance!
A Revolutionary Mindset
(1st draft thesis and second draft ben franklin)
The peoples of America have always been diverse. Our colonial settlers came from many different backgrounds, for various reasons, and this diversity lead to a melting pot of values, ideas, customs, and tolerances. Still, through this jumble of personalities, some distinctly American characteristics shone through. At no time were Americans ever, or since, more distinctly American than in the times leading up to and during the American revolution. These Revolutionary American ideals are reflected in the writings of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams(?), and Thomas Paine; who are three of the most well known founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin personified the characteristics of hard work and civil service. John Adams represented the ideas of ? and ?. Thomas Paine wrote to his countrymen about the ideals of independence and rational thinking. These values and ideals did not represent every individual in revolutionary America. However, they do represent American society as a whole.
“Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” (Franklin 914) Ben Franklin was no stranger to hard work, though it is not hard physical labor to which I refer. It was his dedication to staying busy; either studying, networking, writing, or inventing; that made him a successful man. In his Essay “The Way to Wealth” he includes many quotables, most of which can be paraphrased down to “hard work is the way to wealthy.” Hard work is the part of the American Dream. Many people who migrated to America supported the revolution because they knew if they could work hard they could earn a living and work their way to the top. This was a characteristic passed down from the hard working puritan societies that colonized places like Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is also an ideal that separated America from the ideals of the European monarchies, where you could never work your way into the ruling class.
Benjamin Franklin was a huge contributor to public service. As an inventor he never filed a single patent, even stating in his autobiography that, “as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”(55) In Fact, many of his creations were specifically for use in public service, such as the public library or the four pane street light. The street light is also a reflection of American ingenuity. By leaving holes in the bottom and a chimney at the top, the smoke and soot was carried out much more efficiently.(66) This way the streets would remain well lit, all for the sake of the public good. Americans of this time period valued working for the community, even though that civil duty was not a legal requirement as it would be in a communist state.
That last line of need to change but I will get back to it after I finish the rest of the essay. (just 713 words left to go! :p)
I'd love some comments on how I can improve along with help brain storming
Writing about Franklin was easy (I will post the rough draft below feel free to give me some constructive criticism), and I'm pretty sure my second author will be Thomas Paine, but now I need help brain storming a few characteristics about one of the other 3. To me none of them represent american Ideals the way BF and TP do.
Thanks in advance!
A Revolutionary Mindset
(1st draft thesis and second draft ben franklin)
The peoples of America have always been diverse. Our colonial settlers came from many different backgrounds, for various reasons, and this diversity lead to a melting pot of values, ideas, customs, and tolerances. Still, through this jumble of personalities, some distinctly American characteristics shone through. At no time were Americans ever, or since, more distinctly American than in the times leading up to and during the American revolution. These Revolutionary American ideals are reflected in the writings of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams(?), and Thomas Paine; who are three of the most well known founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin personified the characteristics of hard work and civil service. John Adams represented the ideas of ? and ?. Thomas Paine wrote to his countrymen about the ideals of independence and rational thinking. These values and ideals did not represent every individual in revolutionary America. However, they do represent American society as a whole.
“Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” (Franklin 914) Ben Franklin was no stranger to hard work, though it is not hard physical labor to which I refer. It was his dedication to staying busy; either studying, networking, writing, or inventing; that made him a successful man. In his Essay “The Way to Wealth” he includes many quotables, most of which can be paraphrased down to “hard work is the way to wealthy.” Hard work is the part of the American Dream. Many people who migrated to America supported the revolution because they knew if they could work hard they could earn a living and work their way to the top. This was a characteristic passed down from the hard working puritan societies that colonized places like Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is also an ideal that separated America from the ideals of the European monarchies, where you could never work your way into the ruling class.
Benjamin Franklin was a huge contributor to public service. As an inventor he never filed a single patent, even stating in his autobiography that, “as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”(55) In Fact, many of his creations were specifically for use in public service, such as the public library or the four pane street light. The street light is also a reflection of American ingenuity. By leaving holes in the bottom and a chimney at the top, the smoke and soot was carried out much more efficiently.(66) This way the streets would remain well lit, all for the sake of the public good. Americans of this time period valued working for the community, even though that civil duty was not a legal requirement as it would be in a communist state.
That last line of need to change but I will get back to it after I finish the rest of the essay. (just 713 words left to go! :p)
I'd love some comments on how I can improve along with help brain storming