Benjamin Franklin Contributions To American Culture

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Many people are responsible for providing Americans with the freedoms we have today like Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. These people would make great world leaders today for their contributions to society, government, and public relations. In general, these men have contributed to our country in many ways; for example, they drafted the United States Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay would publish the Federalist Papers. Thomas Jefferson would write the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams, John Marshall, and Patrick Henry put pass legislation that would create a national government.
What makes a person a leader, or rather, what makes them a great leader? John Adams, was exceptional man who helped secure our countries freedom. He did this by taking a stand and arguing against the stamp act which taxed American colonies unfairly. To be a great leader, one must be fair and just, John Adams clearly shows this by representing the British soldiers who were on trial for killing five colonist for what is now known as the Boston Massacre. Even though this did not reflect well upon him in the colony, Adams believed everyone deserved a fair trial and even though the decision he made to represent the soldiers was unpopular so was suggesting that part of the blame for the incident lay on the colonist. Adams actions proved he was a fair and brave man who would sacrifice himself if it meant defending what is right. Incongruence to his work in the colonies, John Adams was brilliant when it came to legislation and negations. Our government today is still modeled after John Adams idea of separation of powers. Adams’ idea to have three branches of government was ingenious; the three branches would create checks and balances. With this idea, no branch would have more power than the other. John Adams, who embodied political greatness, would serve on a committee to create the Declaration of Independence. To be a leader, one must know how to problem solve whether those problems are taxation without representation or negotiating treaties to end wars. Alexander Hamilton was a gifted and intelligent man. Alexander would leave college to begin a career in politics. He would prove his self in war and in government, after taking victory at York Town, he realized that our congresses issue came from the Articles of the Confederation. Hamilton believed that the articles divided the nation instead of unifying it, which was why we needed a stronger government. The Articles of Confederation left the government weak unable to tax, no way to enforce the acts congress passed, and most states had their own military and money, this made for an unstable country. Realizing this, Hamilton
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Franklin helped draft the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris alongside John Jay. This treaty would recognize the United States independence. Not only did Benjamin Franklin have a hand in some of the most important documents, he also organized our countries first lending library and volunteer fire department. Benjamin Franklin would stand up and speak against the stamp act which taxed all legal documents including newspapers, books, and other reading material. The stamp act was repealed but would be replaced with additional acts. Ben Franklin would convince the Paxton Boys to return home instead of slaughtering more Christian Indians. In summation, Franklin was a pivotal part of easing America’s struggle for justice and …show more content…
Clay help the country together until peace could no longer be kept between the north and the south. Although the Civil War broke out, Henry Clay is known as the “Great Compromiser.” Three compromises that Clay helped negotiate were the Missouri Compromise of the 1820, the Tariff Compromise of 1833, and the Compromise of 1850. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 would settle a dispute between anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups, and would establish a boundary line between the pro and anti-slave regions. The Tariff Compromise of 1833 ended the nullification crisis by lowering the tariff rates. The Compromise of 1850 would settle a dispute about what and if new territories would be added as slaves

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