Morality In Benjamin Franklin's Age Of Reason

Before being able to change the documents, this project zeroed in on Age of Reason writing styles and perspectives on human nature, individualism, and morality. These three traits were the ones that Puritans would disagree with the most besides the Anglican church, and the structure of the Declaration is analyzed to create the most theoretically correct reproduction of it. People during the Age of Reason believed that individuals were born as a blank slate and anything that happened to them from then on impacted their nature and behavior. Benjamin Franklin exemplifies this in his work The Autobiography when he attempts to achieve “moral perfection” by “conquer[ing] custom, company… habit, inattention” (131, Franklin). Conversely, the Puritans believed that every person was born sinful (due to the Adam and Eve incident in …show more content…
That is done in grievance number two, “[the British] have mislead the public to believe they are without sin from birth and can return to that state without God’s hand.” Another tenet of the Age of Reason is the focus on individualism. An example right from the source of the document this project is based on is that people thought that men were “endowed with unalienable rights; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (140, Jefferson, Declaration of Independence). Thinking that every single person on Earth is equal and has the divine right to live and pursue their happiness directly contrasts the Puritan’s belief that “Some men are handpicked by God, his righteous people” (Assertion of Sovereignty). Another individualistic interpretation the Age of Reason created was a new perspective on morality. That, instead of the Puritan’s ‘you’re only moral if you follow the bible and god chooses you’, being a good person comes from continual self-improvement and