John Hope Franklin

The British were once the most feared and hated by so many countries because of their powerful army and great wealth. Their reign of kings and queens all has come to an end, thanks to the patriots in 1775 who decided they have had enough of British rule and wanted a federal republic government. They achieved this goal in 1783 with determination and the leadership by George Washington. Many historians have been arguing about whether the war really made an impact on the U.S or it had very…

The American Revolution occurred due to a chain of events and a complex set of reasons. The most prominent reason that the colonists began protests, boycotts, and petitions against the British was because they believed their rights as British citizens were being violated. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. Both the British and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The American Revolution…

change, these ideals showed great importance in connecting people in America. Some, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine, wrote about their own values to persuade others to follow them. One value that they wrote about is virtue. Though both define virtue as having both moral standards and being reasonable and logical with oneself, they differ on how these virtues should help one’s life; Franklin focuses on self-discipline and success as he sees himself as the model for virtue and his…

The colonies were trying to be united by an act known as the “Albany Plan” which was proposed in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin. This would give increased protection to the colonies by being under on government. The illustration is showing the same. Benjamin Franklin believes that all of the colonies must unite to win against the British, not one colony can win alone. This is also another reason why unity amongst the colonies increased. Each…

Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards were two of the most influential men during America’s enlightenment. However, they have two very opposing viewpoint on virtually everything. Edwards believes that man’s primary responsibility is to God and is driven by Calvinism, while Franklin rejects theology as the responsibility of man and instead determines that man’s responsibility is to seek a virtuous life through purpose. Jonathan Edwards uses his sermons and explicit imagery to convey that man’s…

During the Revolutionary War, there was many documents and forms of propaganda and news that were used to influence the colonists and get them to act on the coming revolution. One was the pamphlet of Common Sense Written by Thomas Paine. The pamphlet was bought and read so frequently that is was considered a best seller for the time. Everyone that read Common Sense did not necessarily agree with it but it brought up many valid points as to why America should separate from Britain. The document…

One of the earliest examples of a patriotic song was published in the Boston Gazette in July, 1768, nine years before the United States of America would officially declare its Independence. “The Liberty Song” was penned by John Dickinson. He wrote the words to fit the famous music of the anthem of the British Royal Navy, "Heart of Oak," composed in 1759 by Dr. William Boyce (1711-1779). (dickinson.edu). The first stanza has strong words describing freedom and liberty. “Come…

been written with Benjamin Franklin in mind. Throughout his lifetime he invented many things, many of which are still used today. He made the lighting rod, stove, bifocal eyeglasses,(Block 42). His ingenuity helped build the foundation of the United States, which wouldn’t have been accomplished without Benjamin Franklin. The first invention that showed ingenuity was the invention of the lightning rod. “The lighting rod was the result of a flash of genius that came to Franklin after years…

Throughout history various revolutions occurred that prompted changes in societies through different methods. Many people in the past wanted to change the way things were and sometimes they could not do it peacefully so they did it the hard way. People gathered in large groups to discuss what changes should be done and what actions do they have to take so that those changes occur. The French and American revolutions occurred between 1750 CE and 1914 CE that caused the way people interacted with…

1776 a year that is remember all throughout history as the year thirteen colonies stood up to an empire and said “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Saying enough is enough to an empire that the bigger, better, trained and more powerful they are. This story is taught to us all of our years in school from the same…