Critique Of The Americanization Of Benjamin Franklin 41u

 

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  Nicolas  Sawicky   Critique  of  The  Americanization  of  Benjamin  Franklin   Professor  Annunziata      

From  an  early  age,  each  American  learns  about  the  history  of  The  United  

States  of  America.  These  children  are  told  the  fantastic  story  of  their  country’s   founding,  including  the  brave  men  who  made  it  possible.  Most  of  these  men  are   educated,  first-­‐born  sons  of  successful  families.  Then  there  is  Benjamin  Franklin,  the   most  unlikely  Founding  Father.  From  his  humble  beginnings,  he  became  an   international  celebrity.  He  then  used  this  popularity  to  gain  American  its   independence.      

One  of  the  most  well  respected  biographies  on  Ben  Franklin  is  The  

Americanization  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  by  Gordon  Wood.  It  is  not  the  typical   biography  that  goes  through  every  event  in  person's  life,  but  instead  attempts  to   focus  on  specific  aspects  of  Franklin's  life.  Focusing  specifically  on  the  step-­‐by-­‐step   process  of  his  Americanization.  Amazingly,  nearly  every  aspect  of  his  life  became  an   important  part  of  his  eventual  Americanization.        

The  introduction  starts  off  by  setting  Benjamin  Franklin  apart  from  the  other  

wig-­‐wearing  founders.  Describing  him  as  a  more  accessible  and  democratic  than  the   other  founding  fathers  (1).  Wood  goes  as  far  as  describing  Franklin  as  someone  you  

 

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would  want  to  spend  an  evening  with.  That  statement  hit  home  for  me  personally,   since  I  consider  Ben  Franklin  as  the  number  one  person  I  would  want  to  meet,  if  I   could  meet  anyone,  dead  or  living.  Wood  then  comically  goes  through  the   personality  defects  of  all  the  other  founding  fathers  (1).  Showing  that  one  of  the   main  reasons  why  Franklin  is  so  popular  is  because  he  was  just  a  likeable,  normal   guy.        

Gordon  Wood  portrayed  Benjamin  Franklin  as  a  regular  man  very  nicely.  

Wood  points  out  that  he  became  wealthy  and  famous  from  hard  work.  It  was  this   characteristic  that  made  Franklin  the  embodiment  of  the  American  dream  that  we   still  see  today.  Wood  even  describes  Franklin  as  "The  prototype  of  the  self-­‐made   man"  (2).  This  analysis  brings  me  back  to  another  history  class,  where  I  learned   about  similar  people  in  the  20th  century.  These  “go-­‐getters”  worked  hard  from   nothing  and  became  vastly  successful  in  things  from  nationwide  sales  catalogs  to   cattle  farming.  In  reality,  these  individuals  were  following  in  the  footsteps  of   Benjamin  Franklin,  the  first  American  “go-­‐getter”.      

Like  any  good  historian,  Gordon  wood  also  brings  up  contrasting  viewpoints  

that  debunk  Franklin  as  a  great  founding  father.  He  does  it  in  a  very  interesting   manner,  using  not  only  evidence  from  other  historians  but  also  writings  from  Mark   Twain  and  Edger  Allen  Poe  (4-­‐5).  Both  of  these  famous  American  writers  satire   Franklin,  showing  that  no  one  is  safe  from  criticism.  Even  the  American  novelist   Nathaniel  Hawthorne  makes  the  argument  that  Franklin  is  only  famous  because  of  

 

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his  Poor  Richards  almanac  (6).  Although  there  is  far  less  credibility  to  the  opinions   of  simple  writers,  I  am  glad  that  Gordon  Wood  added  their  opinions  into  the  book,  it   made  the  material  more  well  rounded  and  makes  the  reader  think  more.        

Going  along  with  the  theme  of  Ben  Franklin  in  American  literature,  there  is  

an  outstanding  connection  made  between  Jay  Gatsby,  from  the  book  The  Great   Gatsby,  and  Franklin.  Gatsby  constantly  worked  on  self-­‐improvement,  saving  money,   reading,  and  working  hard.  Hammering  the  point  that  birth  doesn't  matter,  but  what   you  do  with  your  life  (8).  The  fictional  character  of  Jay  Gatsby  lived  like  a  true   Franklinite,  rising  from  poverty  and  continually  working  towards  self-­‐improvement.   After  Gordon  Wood  made  this  connection,  I  immediately  agreed.  It  just  shows  you   how  ingrained  the  life  of  Franklin  is  with  America.      

The  reader  is  also  treated  to  some  information  on  the  less  American  side  of  

Benjamin  Franklin.  Gordon  Wood  makes  the  point  that  during  his  lifetime,  Franklin   was  one  of  the  least  American  of  the  founding  fathers.  "He  hobnobbed  with  lords   and  aristocrats.  He  conversed  with  kings"  (9).  These  facts  are  true,  although  not   widely  known.  In  reality,  he  did  not  become  an  American  symbol  until  after  his   lifetime.  It  was  at  that  point  that  the  myth  of  Benjamin  Franklin  took  on  a  life  of  its   own.      

Gordon  Wood  then  challenges  also  challenges  the  reader  to  think,  what  if?  He  

does  this  by  telling  the  reader  that  it  was  not  Franklin’s  destiny  to  become  a  

 

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founding  father,  but  instead  something  quite  the  opposite.  We  should  not  take  for   granted  Franklin’s  Americanism  and  participation  in  the  American  Revolution.  He   spent  the  majority  of  the  last  38  years  of  his  life  overseas  in  Europe  (10).  It  was   there  that  he  became  deeply  ingrained  with  the  European  lifestyle.  Wood  then  states   that  Franklin  "Suffered  from  anxiety  of  national  identity",  meaning  he  was  not  sure   what  place  he  called  home  (10).  As  Americans,  we  should  be  very  glad  that   Benjamin  Franklin  took  our  side  in  the  fight  for  independence.  If  he  did  not,  it  would   most  likely  have  meant  a  crushing  defeat,  since  Franklin  was  the  one  that  convinced   the  French  to  help  the  American  cause.        

Gordon  Wood  does  not  hesitate  to  use  Franklin's  Autobiography  as  a  source  

in  his  biography.  One  of  the  best  uses  of  this  first  hand    is  when  Wood  places   quotes  from  the  Autobiography  to  look  into  the  life  of  Ben  Franklin.  One  example  of   this  is  when  Gordon  Wood  is  describing  Franklin’s  origins  on  this  earth:  "Certainty   there  were  people  in  Philadelphia  who  never  let  him  forget  ‘his  original  obscurity’   and  that  he  had  sprung  from  ‘the  meanest  circumstances’”  (13).  After  reading  that,   you  know  that  Franklin  looked  down  on  his  early  years.  But  Gordon  wood  later   informs  the  audience  that  Franklin  used  those  humble  beginnings  as  a  way  to   motivate  others  to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  Franklin  was  all  about  self-­‐improvement.        

Event  though  Wood  relies  heavily  on  Franklin’s  autobiography,  he  still  

critiques  it.  Gordon  claims  that  it  is  hard  to  interpret.  His  biggest  problem  with  the   Franklin’s  autobiography  is  that  he  moves  between  multiple  personas,  especially  

 

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between  the  innocence  of  youth  and  the  irony  of  a  mature  man  (14).  Although  I  do   see  how  that  can  be  a  problem  to  a  reader  who  is  reading  the  book  in  hopes  of   extracting  useful  information,  I  personally  think  that  I  would  find  that  writing  style   entertaining  as  well  as  thought  provoking.  This  insight  into  the  Autobiography  of   Franklin  made  me  very  interested  to  read  it  over  the  summer,  so  that  I  could  form   my  own  opinion  on  Franklin’s  writing  style.        

Gordon  Wood  also  does  a  nice  job  of  presenting  some  very  interesting  facts  

that  I  was  not  aware  of.  These  facts  let  the  reader  truly  understand  how  deep  an   individual  Benjamin  Franklin  was.  One  of  the  most  outrageous  facts  is  the  one  about   Franklin  having  42  different  personalities  during  his  writing  career.  Each  one  was   under  a  different  Pseudonym  that  Franklin  also  created.  Some  of  these  Pseudonyms   were  “Richard  Saunders”,  a.k.a.  Poor  Richard,  women  like  “Silence  Dogood”,  or  even   "a  London  manufacturer"  (14).  With  all  these  different  people  inside  of  him,  it  is   amazing  that  Franklin  was  able  to  stay  perfectly  sane.        

The  Americanization  of  Benjamin  Franklin  also  offers  an  amazing  insight  into  

the  mind  of  Ben  Franklin,  using  ages  from  the  Autobiography.  In  one  section,   Franklin  talks  about  how  he  was  a  vegetarian  in  his  youth,  believing  it  was  "a  kind  of   [sic]  unprovok'd  murder"  to  eat  meat.  Smelling  fish  one  day,  he  was  caught  between   "principle  and  inclination".  When  he  saw  that  the  cut-­‐open  fish  had  eaten  smaller   fish,  he  concluded:  "if  you  eat  one  another,  I  don't  see  why  we  mayn't  eat  you".  From   then  on  he  heartily  dinned  on  cod  (15).    After  reading  that,  I  literally  got  goose  

 

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bumps.  I  felt  like  I  was  in  the  eighteenth  century  with  Franklin,  witnessing  this   event.  You  could  never  get  such  a  detailed  look  into  a  person’s  life  from  just  research   on  that  specific  person.  It  has  to  come  from  that  person.  Gordon  Wood  understood   that  and  used  Franklin’s  autobiography  every  chance  he  got.    

 

 

Unfortunately,  Gordon  Wood  almost  too  heavily  relies  on  Franklin's  

autobiography.  Sometimes  I  feel  like  all  wood  is  doing  is  repeating  what’s  in  the   autobiography  and  then  interpreting  what’s  been  said,  putting  his  own  words  in   occasionally.  An  example  of  this  over  use  of  the  autobiography  is  nn  the  opening  of   the  section  "Philadelphia",  where  Wood  uses  Franklin's  description  of  his  arrival  to   Philadelphia.  Wood  then  uses  Franklin's  analysis  of  his  unlikely  beginnings  and  how   he  made  it  so  descriptive  so  that  the  reader  can  compare  how  he  entered  Philly  to   the  person  that  he  will  eventually  become  (23).        

The  whole  book  is  organized  in  an  understandable  and  efficient  manner.  The  

is  an  Introduction  that  set  the  stage  for  the  Americanization  that  the  reader  will   witness  along  with  a  few  debates  on  who  Franklin  really  was.  Then  there  are  five   chapters.  Each  one  representing  a  synthetic  "stage"  of  his  life,  like  "Becoming  a   Gentleman",  "Becoming  a  Patriot",  and  "Becoming  an  American".  These  chapters  are   then  divided  into  smaller  sections  of  his  life,  like:  "Boston  Beginnings",   "Philadelphia",  "Patronage",  or  even  "Marriage".      

Wood  has  no  problem  giving  facts  that  make  Franklin  seem  less  heroic.  One  

 

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great  and  not  very  well  known  example  is  the  patronage  that  Franklin  received  after   arriving  in  Philadelphia.  Wood  methodically  breaks  down  the  mystic  aura  that  is   Ben  Franklin.  The  reader  learns  that  to  get  where  he  got,  Franklin  received  help   from  Pennsylvania's  governor,  Philadelphia's  richest  man,  and  even  a  prominent   lawyer  in  Philadelphia.  The  patronage  included:  lending  money,  inviting  him  to  their   homes,  introducing  him  to  others,  and  becoming  his  'friends',  which  was  the   common  euphemism  of  the  day  for  patron-­‐client  relations  (27).  Although  this  is  just   networking  in  today’s  corporate  world,  it  still  does  take  away  some  of  the  cult  of   personality  that  most  Americans  know.        

Wood  is  also  able  to  capture  the  excitement  of  the  times  surrounding  

Benjamin  Franklin.  When  Franklin's  electricity  experiments  hit  Europe,  he  became   an  international  celebrity  (64).  Gordon  is  able  to  cite  some  of  the  “buzz”  over   Franklin  along  with  the  shear  fact  that  his  success  alone  gave  credibility  to  the   colonies  and  the  geniuses  that  could  come  out  of  them  (65).  Franklin  was  even   praised  as  the  "the  greatest,  perhaps,  since  the  time  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton"  (65).  These   statements  left  me  wondering  how  amazing  it  was  that  he  became  so  famous,  so   quickly,  without  the  help  of  all  the  mediums  of  communication  we  have  now.  It  is   just  further  proof  that  Benjamin  Franklin  was  nothing  less  than  a  super  star  in  the   eyes  of  most  prominent  Europeans.        

When  Franklin  dips  his  hands  into  politics,  Wood  is  able  to  expertly  describe  

the  behind  the  scenes  work  by  Franklin  in  regards  to  the  eventual  repeal  of  the  

 

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Stamp  Act.  Unlike  a  history  book,  the  reader  learns  that  many  though  Franklin  was   the  cause  of  the  Stamp  act  along  with  its  repeal.  In  reality  he  was  just  responsible  for   communicating  between  the  colonies  and  the  British  Parliament  to  try  to   understand  what  each  side  wanted  and  then  created  his  own  compromise  that  lead   to  the  Act's  repeal  (120).  It  is  much  more  amazing  when  the  reader  knows  that   Franklin  was  under  the  extra  pressure  of  having  been  blamed  as  the  cause  of  the  Act   in  the  first  place.       Wood  also  invites  his  readers  into  the  atmosphere  of  the  Constitutional   Convention.  It  is  there  that  the  reader  is  immersed  in  the  ambience  of  the   constitution’s  birth.  The  reader  is  given  descriptions  of  Franklin  from  observers   within  the  room.  Saying  that  he  carries  with  him  a  reputation  of  respect,  but  was  not   a  very  good  public  speaker.  Rarely  saying  more  than  a  few  words  (216).  Despite  his   lack  of  speech,  what  he  did  say  was  highly  regarded,  something  you  rarely  see  in  this   day  and  age.  It  is  just  another  piece  of  evidence  that  helps  the  reader  understand   what  the  real  Ben  Franklin  was  like.     The  Biography  summarizes  nicely  at  the  end  with  Franklin  going  back  to   printing,  spending  his  time  training  his  grandson.  Wood  ends  with  the  fact  that   Franklin  personified  the  American  dream,  because  of  that,  as  long  as  America  is  the   land  of  opportunity,  America  will  be  the  land  of  Ben  Franklin  (246).  Overall,  Gordon   Wood  did  an  exceptional  job  showing  the  reader  how  the  real  Ben  Franklin  lived.  He   uncovered  as  much  as  humanly  possible  without  actually  ever  meeting  the  man.  

  After  reading  The  Americanization  of  Benjamin  Franklin  I  believe  I  am  even  a   stronger  er  of  the  man  on  the  one  hundred  dollar  bill.    

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