Who Was Franklin?

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Benjamin Franklin remains an enigmatic figure. He has been revered as a patriot and one of the country's beloved founding fathers. He has also been seen as a self-serving elitist. The paper looks at historian Gordon Woods' book "The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin", where he attempts to answer the question of who indeed was the real Ben Franklin. The paper illustrates how Woods evaluates Franklin based on a historical perspective and shows how political developments affected Franklin's thinking. The paper asserts that Woods clearly shows that the "Americanization" of Benjamin Franklin is the "Americanization" of the new independent America as well.

From the Paper:

"Through Woods' approach, the reader is transported to Franklin's time. We are forced to evaluate Franklin not from the perspective of hindsight, but within the context of the 18th century. We are forced to consider the founding father before Franklin came to be appropriated by the different artisans and craftsmen of the 19th century, after the publication of Franklin's Autobiography. In essence, Woods' approach goes beyond the familiar rags to riches emphasis that many other biographies take when telling the story of Ben Franklin."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Wood, Gordon S. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Penguin, 2004

More papers on Who Was Franklin?:

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• Book Review # 101886 : "Verner W. Crane's "Benjamin Franklin and a Rising People"
• Book Review # 110128 : "The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin"

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