Darin Jackson
History 211
Professor Doyle
February 6 2018 Essay on: The Americanization Of Benjamin Franklin
Ben Franklin was one of the signers and 'founding fathers' of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin is very popular. He is known by many for his appearance on the one-hundred dollar bill and his invention of bifocals. He believed that most American colonists did better when British monarchy was in charge. So how did Franklin go from being a faithful British supporter to having a big impact on the American Revolution? Beginning with Franklin's childhood, Gordon Wood explains how Franklin transformed into to a prototypical American in The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. In Gordon S. Wood’s biography, The Americanization …show more content…
Was that really the case or was it just the image of Franklin that has been promoted through time. Without reading the book, readers may never know that Benjamin Franklin was a devoted imperialist before he was a patriot. Although he started off as a writer, philosopher, and inventor, Ben was also a controversial political figure and who managed to acquire many enemies during his life. As he got older he began to realize that he had the wrong outlook on many things and how it came back to bite …show more content…
He analyzed Franklin’s character with expertise. “Franklin is not an easy man to get to know,” but through a lot of research and by comparing Franklin’s life in private and public, Wood helps readers gain more of an understanding of him here. Wood is clear to point out that Franklin was a “man of many masks,” one who seemed always to “hold something back,” and that he kept his own counsel best of all. The amount of detail that Wood provides in this book is unreal, and thankfully he has left his soapbox at home. Wood checked the human inclination toward condemnation and preachiness at the door in lieu of a more analytical and reasoned
History 211
Professor Doyle
February 6 2018 Essay on: The Americanization Of Benjamin Franklin
Ben Franklin was one of the signers and 'founding fathers' of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin is very popular. He is known by many for his appearance on the one-hundred dollar bill and his invention of bifocals. He believed that most American colonists did better when British monarchy was in charge. So how did Franklin go from being a faithful British supporter to having a big impact on the American Revolution? Beginning with Franklin's childhood, Gordon Wood explains how Franklin transformed into to a prototypical American in The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. In Gordon S. Wood’s biography, The Americanization …show more content…
Was that really the case or was it just the image of Franklin that has been promoted through time. Without reading the book, readers may never know that Benjamin Franklin was a devoted imperialist before he was a patriot. Although he started off as a writer, philosopher, and inventor, Ben was also a controversial political figure and who managed to acquire many enemies during his life. As he got older he began to realize that he had the wrong outlook on many things and how it came back to bite …show more content…
He analyzed Franklin’s character with expertise. “Franklin is not an easy man to get to know,” but through a lot of research and by comparing Franklin’s life in private and public, Wood helps readers gain more of an understanding of him here. Wood is clear to point out that Franklin was a “man of many masks,” one who seemed always to “hold something back,” and that he kept his own counsel best of all. The amount of detail that Wood provides in this book is unreal, and thankfully he has left his soapbox at home. Wood checked the human inclination toward condemnation and preachiness at the door in lieu of a more analytical and reasoned