Benjamin Franklin, was an American printer, diplomat, scientist and philosopher who made many contributions to the American Revolution and the newly form Federal Government that followed. Today, he is recognized as one of America’s greatest inventors.
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, a tallow chandler by trade, had 17 children; Benjamin was the 15th child and the 10th son. The Franklin family was very frugal in their spending and modest in their conduct, like most New Englanders at the time.
Benjamin Franklin did not attend school for long; soon he was taken from grammar school and would later become an apprentice to his older brother. Nevertheless, Benjamin Franklin tried to abide by certain self-disciplines that would later help him to become the most prominent “self-made” man at the time. I will closely examine how these self-disciplines helped Franklin to become very successful. Benjamin Franklin came from a poor home and was driven by ambition to reach his success. In part II of his autobiography, he spoke of 13 virtues and hope that he would be able to possess all of them.
The names of the virtues were: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. Franklin felt that he did not possess all these virtues and was determine to make them apart of his daily routine. Of the 13 virtues Benjamin Franklin mentioned, I will focus on Temperance, Order, and Frugality. According to Benjamin Franklin, his father instilled the virtue of being frugal when he was just a boy. (Franklin, 62)
Shortly after Ben had set out on task to acquire these virtues he began to realize that he had more faults than he had imagined. (Franklin, 68) However, Franklin found Order to be a lot more demanding. It required organization and thought it would be difficult for a businessman to maintain such control. In conclusion, Franklin reached the Pinnacle of his success through persistence and determination. He abide by the 13 virtues, even though at times may have seem impossible to accomplish. His wisdom, humility, and eagerness to learn brought him huge success and today is still recognized as one of America’s greatest.
