Benjamin Franklin Became A Self-Made America

American history is filled with countless examples of “self-made” Americans, who became successful and shaped the course of their society. However, while the examples of prosperous men who made it in America are easy to find, each one of them has a different story. Every person took a different journey to reach their success, every person defined success in a different manner, and every person had a different definition of what it meant to be “self-made” American. This statement holds true for Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass, two successful Americans who each took different roads to reach this point. Whereas Frederick Douglass became a self-made American by defying and disobeying those above him and by taking control of his life to escape the struggles of slavery, Benjamin Franklin became a self-made American by dealing with internal struggles, as well as defying the expectations of what it meant to be an American at the time. …show more content…
While Douglass’ struggles were more severe in nature due to the consequences and historical contexts associated with them, both men created legacies by overcoming the odds. Douglass was not meant to be anything more than a slave who listened to his master, and was meant to be stripped away of all of his individuality due to the role that southern black men had in the 19th century. Franklin was not meant to be anything more than an average citizen, because he lacked a sense of purpose and was an American during a time where the Colonies were not treated with respect. However, both men jumped up the social ladder, breaking through the barriers imposed by society along the way, and rebelling against obstacles, which they could not control. Douglass and Franklin became two of the more prominent “rags-to-riches” examples in American history by discovering their individuality, their power and their purpose in