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Women's role in the american revolution
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The role of women in America before and after the American Revolution
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In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin we see the way Franklin carried his life from being just a boy to a great business man. He states how things were in his opinion. He was a man that started from nothing, worked his way up in the social hierarchy as an important figure and also a financial figure. In his autobiography we see differences in gender take place. Men were the highlight of social construction while females were underestimated as a role in society in education, family and work.
Early on in the biography, we see an opinion on women’s education from Franklin and Collins. Collins said it was improper and they could not handle it like a male, while Franklin argues differently. An assumption can be made that most people feel
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like Collins because throughout the book, Franklin does not run into very many women high in the social hierarchy. Also, he got in that argument just because he wanted to get in an argument with him so he doesn't really necessarily agree with what he's saying either. This topic most likely would not have been an argument if women were already equally treated. Furthermore, Franklin started clubs for education. Woman were not mentioned to be part of this education system Franklin had developed. Franklin saw himself as a mentor and father like figure to many people. The people Franklin had been giving advice to were men not woman. Ironically, he was given advice from a woman to stay away from two other woman that wanted him to visit them at their lodge. He took the advice apparently, but because it is unlikely that this is only advice he has gotten from a women, Franklin may have not respected the advice given to him from a woman. This reflects on how a woman’s opinion did not matter in this time period. Women did not have the same opportunities to learn and they were treated unequally to men in the early 18th century. Throughout the biography, Franklin grows as a business man on his own. Franklin met many people in different places originally looking for employment. Franklin never asked a woman for employment. It is likely that woman could not even hold a business because men may have looked down upon it and had seen it as a failed company from the start. Also, he didn't mention any employed woman either. Woman were probably not contributing any labor at this time. The reasoning behind this could be either they could not get a job to begin with because of the discrimination of them not being capable, or they were thought of just having a role inside the house. All work talked about in the biography was done by men. In Franklin’s printing business he was only associating with other men. Even in a job like printing woman weren't mentioned in the workplace. Although, woman were very capable of doing work like men, it was perhaps just as improper as educating a woman. Leisure to men was commonly taken advantage of and sometimes was overused according to Franklin but woman are also left out of this section. Issues such as woman being alcoholics are either not mentioned or not even considered. Unfortunately, Franklin has indirectly made it seem like woman are nothing to society. When Franklin was in Philadelphia, he states that he had a woman bring him and Keimer food. She had a list that they had wrote that contained 40 different dishes that needed to be prepared at different times. The woman lived in the neighborhood, therefore she is still staying at home just like all the other woman seem to be doing; cooking may have been one of the only choices of any work for woman. From the viewpoint of Franklin, he never really talks about his mother.
This could mean that even in families the roles females play lack consideration. The mother wasn't involved nor was pushing to do well in the business. The father had much greater importance to Franklin than the mother. The father of Benjamin Franklin had in total 17 children, 7 from one wife and 10 from the other. Unlike todays society where children play an important role in many of todays marriages, moving from wife to wife and having several more kids clearly wasn't a big deal. The role of a father is much more leading than a mothers. Their responsibility just like Franklins father is to give guidance to his children and push them in the right direction. While this is covered it can be assumed that the mother is there for taking care of the basic necessities such as feeding them. The lack of hearing about Franklins sister is extremely intriguing because he made it seem like his only siblings were his brothers. His sister is never talked about. This could be because they didn't get along, but still shows the lack of respect for females. Even if they had issues, was it necessary to not mention her? It is possible that she was that meaningless to him just like how his mother is rarely mentioned at
all. To conclude, clearly one can make the assumption that woman were not nearly as equal to men were at this time. The issue with going off of this autobiography is that you only see one persons view. Although a very notable view, still not enough to say that everything was 100% true. Also, because this autobiography was written for his son, he may have left out lots of things that he would not have wanted his son to know. In the autobiography Franklin seems like an incredible man that gained much respect for the things he did. That is only his side of the story though. Another issue with this book with the discussion of gender is that he is from Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania tended to be the outcast of the other colonies because it was poor and was very free. More economic opportunity and more limitation can result in more opportunities for women. Lastly, he wrote the autobiography in 4 sections at a time. It is not likely that he got every story correct because peoples memory fades and sometimes changes in their head naturally. Therefore, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin should be taken under consideration, however we shouldn't take one source to set all of history in the early 18th century.
Gordon S. Wood delves into Benjamin Franklin’s philosophical, political, and personal legacies in the biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. The book travels through Franklin’s experiments, his travels in Europe, and his role in the American revolution. The book begins when Franklin retires from business and becomes a gentleman. It was when he became a gentleman, it allowed him to analyze the world around him. “Indeed, he could not drink a cup of tea without wondering why the tea leaves at the bottom gathered in way rather than another,” a quote from Edmund S. Morgan’s book, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin spent a great deal of time in Britain before returning to America. When he returned, he threw himself into the American revolution, which sent him to France. After he accomplished his duties in France, he returned back home to America where he ran for public office.
In, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” written by Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers) in 1747, brought up the disparities that were between men and women within the judicial system. Also, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” also briefly points out, how religion has been intertwined with politics. All throughout “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” Benjamin Franklin uses very intense diction and syntax to help support what he is trying to express to the rest of society. Also writing this speech in the view point of a women, greatly helps establish what he is trying to say. If Benjamin Franklin was to write it as a man, the speech my have not had the same passionate effect as it currently has.
Benjamin Franklin has been without a doubt one of the most relevant individuals in US history. His autobiography gives us a brief but detailed summary of what his life was like and how society worked in the eighteen century. This autobiography gives us many details of how the colonies where and offers and an overall image of the development of British North America which later turned into the United States. Due to the fact that this book was originally written for Franklin's son, the book concentrates in personal information and has very little information about other topics. However, there are some topics that can be extracted from his writings; one of them is gender. Even though, Franklin never talks openly about gender, we can observe how in his writing these roles are clearly assigned. In this paper, we will analyze how Benjamin's Franklin autobiography showcases the importance of gender in the early eighteenth century. Gender can be analyzed in Franklins book by looking at different topics. This given to men and women by society can be seen in the workspace, in the education of each individual, and in the family and family structure.
Franklin’s accomplishments arose from the influence of family, friends, education, and personal experience with being African American. He had a difficult task as an historian as he was writing about the neglected history of his minority group while being an advocate for the rights of this group. This could be perceived as a conflict of interest, but he thought of it as being beneficial. His method of writing was not to promote African Americans, but to interpret their involvement in the framework of American history. This was not something that had been done extensively and thoroughly before. Franklin set the stage and helped to create a widely accepted field of history.
This paper also seeks to compare the autobiographies of Benjamin Franklin and Fredrick Douglas. In an e...
Benjamin Franklin was a remarkably talented man. He started his life as a printers apprentice, but went much farther then there. He developed things that were far more advanced than the time. Benjamin Franklin's stove for example, for cold winter nights, and bifocal lenses for reading. Franklin tracked storms to help understand the horrible weather endured by the colonies. But gis study of electricity made him mist famous and he was known world wide as the founder of the lightning rod. Not only was Benjamin Franklin helpful in developing ideas for better living, he was also a strong force in developing the new nation of America. Benjamin Franklins political views showed him to be a man who loved freedom and independence. His views towards England gradually changed from like to dislike until he finally
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most well-known men on earth! Everyone knows who he is, but not a lot of people have read about him. Mr. Franklin has an Autobiography that was published to us. In pages 411 through 417 of Benjamin Franklin Autobiography there is three topics Benjamin Franklin touches on when writing these five pages of his Autobiography. To begin with the first topic was about a library he opened up, the second topic he spoke about was about how he respects religion but doesn’t like religion controversy, and last but not least he wrote about thirteen virtues.
“There is a double standard here that shapes our perceptions of men and women in ways that support patriarchy as a system. What is culturally valued is associated with masculinity and maleness and what is devalued is associated with femininity and femaleness, regardless of the reality of men’s and women’s lives”,( Johnson 64). In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, Betty’s mother was pressurizing Betty to make her husband read a poem at the wedding not just to act like he enjoyed the marriage but mainly because it was a tradition for men. When Betty said she didn’t care about it, her mother refused and still insisted that she should do it. Women are looked down upon when it comes to the assignment of gender roles and this is because of labels that the society has placed on the female gender. In a home, the father is always the head of the home, providing food and clothing for every family member but there are some women who like to be independent and would also love to work and make money and cater for the family. In the 19th century, women were told they were home makers and were not allowed to endeavor further in higher educational studies. Wellesley College was a college built to raise future wives and not future leaders meaning that society had already placed women below the ladder without any intention or thoughts of them climbing back
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a representation of the new prospect of upward mobility in colonial America during the 18th century and the development of the Age of Reason, which assisted in the conception of the idea of the “American Dream”; a dream that includes fundamentally social ideals such as democracy, equality, and material prosperity. Furthermore, Franklin’s autobiography exemplifies a significant shift in focus from religion to enlightenment and reason. Additionally, there were forces specific to Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia, that played an important role in his perspectives and the changes that occurred within colonial America during the 18th century.
Benjamin Franklin was probably the most important man in the development of the United States. He was a very influential figure. Benjamin Franklin, however, was also a man of great wisdom. Like his book The Way to Wealth, where he outlines his financial wisdom, wisdom could be attained from his autobiography. In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin outlines thirteen virtues which he believes to be moral. Although Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues may not be all the wisdom found in his autobiography, it is a start for a successful life.
In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts emphasis on his need to live a virtuous and morally perfect life. Throughout his story, Benjamin Franklin tells his son of his many virtuous acts and momentous achievements, motivating the question as to whether he seeks his own approval more so than the approval of his peers.
It was the year 1706 in Boston, MA when Benjamin Franklin entered the world. Birthed after fourteen other siblings, Franklin's family structure is only one deciding factor in the way that this legendary tale pans out. A hero of American Revolution, this novel depicts 18th century realism accurately while logging Franklin's personal conception on human nature and social community. Many look at Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography as your typical rags to riches tale yet, the truth and falsehood throughout the pages is unknown, raising many questions and concerns. As this book was written in segments over a stretched period of time, we must analyze this account of his life, the struggles and successes which took place, and the outcome of such record in order to appreciate the literary and historical value of America's Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin was a very prominent figure in shaping our nation. Many people look at him as a role model or just as an amazing individual. He had his faults just like every human being had, and he shouldn’t be discredited because of a few minor glitches to his character. As being the only person that had signed The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris, this immediately separates him from all others. One of the things that he wrote about in Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings, was trying to be the ideal person, and even made a list of virtues to live by. His virtues were very important to his lifestyle, and he followed them to a great extent.
Benjamin Franklin was a multi-faceted man, due to his achievements that were unexpected of him, his advances through many areas of his life and his faith that many adapted. Born into a large family of ten children, Franklin was not expected to be the leading man he was. His father was a soap maker, and his family thought Franklin would be a part of the clergy. (Ben Franklin The Electric Franklin 1) Franklin’s expectations make his successes so much more impactful because of his ability to be a leader from a young age and represent America as a powerful nation. Through the printing press Franklin was able to support himself for the rest of his life, which lead him to tackle his curiosities through discovering and inventing. (Benjamin Franklin1) Benjamin Franklin affected America through his accomplishments as a blunt publisher and writer, an innovative scientist and inventor, and a superior political figurehead.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most influential and famous figures of all time. Ben Franklin if often referred to as the "self-made man," and his philosophies and principles in the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Louis P. Masur, has served as a self-help book for millions around the world. Franklin's Autobiography is a prime example of the American dream, a rag to riches story that has inspired many people to think of themselves and the community in a different light. Franklin's moral and social philosophies are packed deeply into his Autobiography. Franklin believed that improving ones self was the key to success. Self-improvement, self-education, and self-discipline are the main factors of a self-made man. Improving yourself will ultimately improve the society as a whole. Franklin speaks of principality and inclination. His idea was to produce the principle man with the awareness of man's natural inclination. Throughout the text Franklin provides examples from his own life that contradicts his moral and social philosophies. These contradictions are mostly caused by natural inclinations. Franklin uses these contradictions to educate people to be aware of their natural inclinations and to try and overcome them. Franklin's realizes that improving oneself is a road with many imperfections. Not even the "self-made man" was completely perfect.