Father Abraham's Speech

Paper Summary:

The paper studies how Franklin's "Father Abraham's Speech" is concerned with the ideals of liberalism in the mid-eighteenth century America. The paper discusses that taxation was not as threatening to the individual's liberty as a lack of industry and frugality. The paper explains that by being industrious, any American could acquire wealth, and by being frugal and sensible, he could keep it. By winning and keeping it, he could ensure that he became wealthy and kept his personal freedom too.

From the Paper:

"Benjamin Franklin's "Father Abraham's Speech:" Considering the entire essay, including the introductory and concluding paragraphs, the central unifying idea of the piece "Father Abraham's Speech, or, The Way to Wealth" is how to honorably acquire wealth and keep it. According to "Poor Richard", even an ordinary laborer can acquire wealth, if he follows common-sense rules of conduct that have been understood (although not often followed) since ancient times. The enclosing structure of the essay sets the scene. First, Poor Richard, who was known to be Benjamin Franklin, was the editor of "Poor Richard's Almanac." An almanac would be as common a book in the households of the time as a Bible; it provided everyday advice about the weather, recipes and other down-to-earth, practical information. The pseudonym "Poor Richard" combines two opposites: "poor" and "rich"."

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