Carla J. Mulford
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199384198
- eISBN:
- 9780199384211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199384198.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 18th Century and Early American Literature
Franklin’s intellectual roots lie in the early modern liberalism he derived from his readings as a youth in his family’s home and his brother James’s print shop in Boston. As this book shows, ...
More
Franklin’s intellectual roots lie in the early modern liberalism he derived from his readings as a youth in his family’s home and his brother James’s print shop in Boston. As this book shows, Franklin was committed to ideals of religious, civil, and political freedom throughout his life. Franklin originally conceived that the British Empire represented these freedoms, but he slowly realized the conflict between imperial processes and individual liberty. Franklin concluded that governors should be concerned with the welfare of its people; when he realized that this was no longer the case with the British Empire, he began to turn away, in a process that evolved over a twenty-year span.Less
Franklin’s intellectual roots lie in the early modern liberalism he derived from his readings as a youth in his family’s home and his brother James’s print shop in Boston. As this book shows, Franklin was committed to ideals of religious, civil, and political freedom throughout his life. Franklin originally conceived that the British Empire represented these freedoms, but he slowly realized the conflict between imperial processes and individual liberty. Franklin concluded that governors should be concerned with the welfare of its people; when he realized that this was no longer the case with the British Empire, he began to turn away, in a process that evolved over a twenty-year span.
Carla J. Mulford
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199384198
- eISBN:
- 9780199384211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199384198.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 18th Century and Early American Literature
This chapter examines Franklin’s reading and writing during his youth and discusses several of the tracts Franklin worked on in his brother’s print shop. Franklin came to admire early modern ...
More
This chapter examines Franklin’s reading and writing during his youth and discusses several of the tracts Franklin worked on in his brother’s print shop. Franklin came to admire early modern liberalism by reading works by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, who together wrote “Cato’s Letters” for the London press, along with writings by John Locke, John Milton, Algernon Sidney, Daniel Defoe, and many others. Working in his brother’s print shop, Franklin learned about Boston’s economic matters and started developing his own ideas about how to stimulate the economy of Boston. When his brother was incarcerated for printing criticisms of those in government, Franklin printed materials related to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. By examining Franklin’s readings and writings during his youthful apprenticeship, the chapter accounts for his earliest ideas about politics, society, and the role of government in individuals’ lives.Less
This chapter examines Franklin’s reading and writing during his youth and discusses several of the tracts Franklin worked on in his brother’s print shop. Franklin came to admire early modern liberalism by reading works by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, who together wrote “Cato’s Letters” for the London press, along with writings by John Locke, John Milton, Algernon Sidney, Daniel Defoe, and many others. Working in his brother’s print shop, Franklin learned about Boston’s economic matters and started developing his own ideas about how to stimulate the economy of Boston. When his brother was incarcerated for printing criticisms of those in government, Franklin printed materials related to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. By examining Franklin’s readings and writings during his youthful apprenticeship, the chapter accounts for his earliest ideas about politics, society, and the role of government in individuals’ lives.
Carla J. Mulford
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199384198
- eISBN:
- 9780199384211
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199384198.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 18th Century and Early American Literature
A literary biography of Franklin’s writings on the British Empire and its relationship to the British North America, this book assesses Franklin’s intellectual life by examining his writings on ...
More
A literary biography of Franklin’s writings on the British Empire and its relationship to the British North America, this book assesses Franklin’s intellectual life by examining his writings on economics, society, politics, and the environment. It shows how Franklin’s youthful reading and writings influenced his values, which had their basis in the early modern liberalism of the seventeenth century. Franklin concluded early in his life that people ought to have central freedoms of conscience and person, including free speech and a free press to voice their concerns about government, the ability to move about freely to pursue better labor opportunities, and the ability to elect their own governors and establish their own laws. This book identifies several moments indicating Franklin’s growing belief in the necessity of American independence, beginning with letters he wrote to William Shirley in the 1750s, which, along with Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union, speak to the potential for North America if self-rule and self-determination were possible. Franklin moved further toward independence after he witnessed the poverty and destitution of agricultural laborers in Ireland in the early 1770s. By 1773, based on decisions being rendered about British incursions in India, Franklin conceived American sovereignty resided with Americans, not with the Crown. He believed that Americans who acquired their land by peaceful treaty with Indians held sovereignty over that acquired land. This view, based in his understanding of the law of his day, placed power squarely in the hands of Britons in North America.Less
A literary biography of Franklin’s writings on the British Empire and its relationship to the British North America, this book assesses Franklin’s intellectual life by examining his writings on economics, society, politics, and the environment. It shows how Franklin’s youthful reading and writings influenced his values, which had their basis in the early modern liberalism of the seventeenth century. Franklin concluded early in his life that people ought to have central freedoms of conscience and person, including free speech and a free press to voice their concerns about government, the ability to move about freely to pursue better labor opportunities, and the ability to elect their own governors and establish their own laws. This book identifies several moments indicating Franklin’s growing belief in the necessity of American independence, beginning with letters he wrote to William Shirley in the 1750s, which, along with Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union, speak to the potential for North America if self-rule and self-determination were possible. Franklin moved further toward independence after he witnessed the poverty and destitution of agricultural laborers in Ireland in the early 1770s. By 1773, based on decisions being rendered about British incursions in India, Franklin conceived American sovereignty resided with Americans, not with the Crown. He believed that Americans who acquired their land by peaceful treaty with Indians held sovereignty over that acquired land. This view, based in his understanding of the law of his day, placed power squarely in the hands of Britons in North America.
