38 pages • 1-hour read
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
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Background
Authorial Context: The Life of Benjamin Franklin
Known as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin spent much of his life pursuing academic, political, and scientific fields. Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1706. He was born to a long line of smiths or tradesmen; his father worked as a candle and soap maker. After an apprenticeship in printing, Franklin moved to Philadelphia. He worked in the Pennsylvania Assembly, started the first subscription library in the state, and served as the United States’ first postmaster general. He also spent time as the American ambassador to France. He is best known for helping to draft the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, as well as negotiating the Treaty of Paris during the American Revolution. He also gained fame for his scientific experiments, such as flying a kite in a lightning storm.
Throughout his life, Franklin had a passion for self-improvement and living by a personal ethical code. His autobiography not only details some of his accomplishments but also discusses how he prioritized self-improvement. In doing so, Franklin advises his reader on how to obtain knowledge and utilize it for both their gain and society’s benefit. While his Autobiography was left incomplete at the time of his death, it became popular and highly regarded when published posthumously, although some later critics have suggested that Franklin comes across as conceited and materialistic.
Historical Context: The Enlightenment and the American Revolution
The Age of Enlightenment refers to a major 17th- and 18th-century philosophical and cultural movement in Europe. The Enlightenment saw major scientific developments and the challenging of traditional hierarchies and beliefs. Various philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau advocated for human rights, freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state. There was an increased emphasis on rationality and systemic inquiry in intellectual pursuits: The Age of Enlightenment is sometimes referred to as “the Age of Reason.”
Politically, the Enlightenment inspired revolutionary movements in the United States, South America, and Europe, as many Enlightenment strands of thought valorized republican or constitutional government in place of absolute monarchy. The American Revolution was thus shaped by both ideological ideals and political pragmatism, with the fledgling colonies desiring independence from the British monarchy and the right to self-government. The Founding Fathers were deeply inspired by Enlightenment thinking when formulating the founding documents and structures of republican political power in the United States, placing a special emphasis on citizens’ rights and the inclusion of checks and balances in government. The Declaration of Independence (1776), with its assertions that “all men are created equal,” that each individual possesses “unalienable Rights,” and that the legitimacy of government rests upon “the consent of the governed,” reflects many of the Enlightenment’s ideals about inherent rights and the value of liberty.
For Benjamin Franklin, both the Age of Enlightenment and the American Revolution serve as the backdrop for his text. Although he does not write much on the American Revolution or his role in the war, he does provide insights on the formation of the country and his own adoption of Enlightenment values. Franklin’s deep interest in scientific progress and invention, his firm belief in freedom of speech and the rights of citizens, and his marked interest in continual self-improvement all embody some of the more general intellectual and political trends of the era.
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