Benjamin Franklin the printer

Of the writing of defys, there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12. 12b, unused International Version) so the holy bible says and this is no much reliable than in the case of benzoin Franklin the printer, a printer, politician, scientist and integrity of the founding catchs of the United states of America. As such, history writers have etern anyy render him as with most some other historical figures of note as a larger than liveliness figure.In this account, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin by Gordon S. Wood, Benjamin is portrayed as a normal hu world be with flaws like all other persons, i with lots of clashing views on accepted norms of the twenty-four hour period and who ceaselessly sought to improve himself not by striving against the odds tho by remodeling himself as appropriate in order to ensure sense of equilibrium and order in his life and this attri neverthelesse may be considered nonpareil that earns him the phrase the man with many masks. In this ac count, Gordon has tried to bring fore the full-strength Benjamin as he is not depicted by most other writer.Though not very conclusive on his hole-and-corner(a) life and affairs, it equable does shed more light on the large-minded of man Benjamin was especially the principles of life that he held and how if circumstances demanded he would be flexible in his ways to achieve these life goals. signalise among them was frugality and hard work which he preached to all who cared to listen and to a fault practiced from an early term as can be seen by his apprenticeship and eventual elopement and setting up of his own printing press.Gordon as such then depicts Benjamin as most historians have the virtuous man we have always been make to think Benjamin was. In the daytime and age when a fathers love was mostly to his initiative born son, Benjamin did not enjoy some(prenominal) attention from his father and this may have led to his character of not revealing much close who he sin cerely was and coming from a Puritanism family he in like manner can have acquired the self enlightenment trait which caused him to have and bear let out his own opinion on almost every other norm of that day.In this way, Benjamin would be portrayed as an individual who driven by prior lack tries to right things so as to satisfy an dressing table within himself which is an aspect not seen in other works roughly him. Reading through the book for anyone not necessarily a sports fan of Benjamin Franklin or colonial history, this book stirs in one a deeper desire to get to be this man how he lived his life and how this force on life and politics of the day and future- our present generation. Not being a critic of Benjamin, Gordon merely pierces the veil on who Benjamin really was and this account written in real life can be considered a worth having book.Simple in plot and easy to follow plot, one is able to visualize Franklin as he was and also answer questions about him that a re otherwise obscured in the mythological figure that he has been glowering into. Raised in a lowly family of a soap and wax light making father, Benjamins impoverished childhood and adolescence, stirred in him an anger with the wealthy for their seemingly easy life and mannerism, this in itself spurred his opposition to rise from a commoner into a gentleman so as to be able to pursue his other interests social advocacy and science.The book gives an explanation about how this persona grew and why it grew. Franklin is seen as the man of his age who rose from a nobody, into a self-made gentleman, a preeminent diplomat and scientist revered by all especially in europium where he served his diplomatic duties. Through sheer hard work, frugality in spending and cultivation of important friends, he was able to amass lavish wealth by age 42 (in 1748) to retire from business and contract pursuing his other desires.It is during this period while pursuing one of his desires percentag e the public good- that he was sent to England to represent the American colonies interests to the British that a transformation began to occur. Wood exposes Benjamin as an ardent supporter of the kingly British Crown, who could not envisage an independent colony free of encounter from the king and who thought of the king as being wisdom itself and more humane than the parliament of the day.He cherished the thought of a unified brainy English empire but this began to kind from 1765 when parliament imposed the stamp act, one which he unfluctuatingly opposed, on the colonies. At home, Benjamin was seen to be part of it by recommending a friend as stamp distributer for Pennsylvania an action he quickly regretted and made him champion the tip over of the act this act earned him repute at home but enemies in England and opened his eyes to the colonies increasing resistance to crown control.It also reinforced his increasing discontent with England and marked the completion of hi s Americanization. He henceforward became a supporter of the revolution demanding independence from England. Back home in 1775 after completing his tour in England, Franklin was appointed as embassador of the American colony to France a coun accentuate he had in his preferably years fought against during the seven years war. His handling of his countrys affairs in France securing their support in the revolution war against England reveals his diplomatic and charming traits.He was able to make many friends and his reputation as a true(p) American was more upheld by these new friends mostly the french who helped create the mythical figure we today know of Benjamin Franklin. This made Franklin indispensable to the success of the emerging young American nation in Europe. Woods shows that Franklin as an individual who could easily take a detail and use it to achieve his goals. In France, the French believing he was a Quaker, he played the part so well to continually reaffirm this h eld belief and and so to them he was a symbol of republican constraint an ends to a good in Franklins view.His Poor Richards Almanac was considered to true a moral philosophy by the French that they deemed him as a symbol of true democracy, an image they helped create and propagate and one still held by todays America. Though wood does not expand on it, we may never know for sure if this was Franklins aim or just a happenstance that he just rode on to achieve his goals. On the issue of principle, Wood does depict Benjamin as a puritan who strongly upheld and advocated principle.He shows Franklin as an individual who was consistent in thought but also explores instances where due to circumstances around him, Franklin had to change his view even though his fundamental principles remained unchanged. This Wood has expertly brought out in a way that apart from showing Franklins strong and flexible character also reveals though just a bit, his power to switch masks quickly and play t he new role with perfection and fire unimaginable.Finally, towards the end of his life, Franklin a former slaveholder despised and strongly fought against owning slaves preferring individual(prenominal) hard work as a source of satisfaction and thus helping change the view of social mobility and dignity of manual outwear among the Americans later on after his death. Wood doesnt claim to be exhaustive about Franklin in this account but does delve a lot into his professional life exposing the man we think we know in new light that most of us do not know but still seeming to revere him as a true American, indeed as the first American.Benjamin Franklin still remains unwieldy a subject to understand but his life does serve as a valuable teaching tool as well as a reference point for most of the political and day to day life of America, the symbol of true capitalism with its goods but minus its evils. An imperialistic turned patriot, scientist, inventor, businessman, politician Frank lin still had a social and private life which is not well explored and explained as much in depth as his public life in this account.In conclusion, this account provides the reader with a true insight of who Benjamin Franklin was without all the mythical nature we have always been taught to believe of him. Room still exists for further exposition of Benjamin Franklin but this account can be considered to be among the best in demystifying Benjamin and exposing him as human and wrought with shortcomings which he did not allow to leg him down but used them to move on.He himself acknowledged his shortcomings and did not try to prove to be above or better than others but extolled the hamper to trying to live a principled life above all else. It is an interesting and enlightening read worth anyone interested in education more about the founding fathers and colonial America. ? References Wood G. S. , (2004). The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York, NY penguin publishers