Ben Franklin

The Scientific Revolution began in 16th century England and eventually spread to France, throughout Europe, and then to the colonies.  Highlighted was the philosophy of Rene Descartes who rejected medieval authoritarianism.  And of course the discoveries of Isaac Newton who felt that the natural universe could be understood by anyone.  He offered a single mathematical law that accounted for the movement of tides, the earth, and the stars.  Modern science had begun, and it also weakened a faith in miracles, holy books, and the idea of the divinity of kings. This “revolution” was astounding on various levels and it sparked what would become known as the Enlightenment.    By the 18th century, the American Enlightenment was a movement marked by an emphasis on rationality rather than tradition, scientific inquiry instead of unquestioning religious dogma, and representative government in place of monarchy.  Enlightenment thinkers and writers were devoted to the ideals of justice, liberty, and equality as the natural rights of man.  The writings of Voltaire were widely read as his attack on dogma, those principles of authority, resonated throughout the masses.  And John Locke came to be an expression of the period – a key English philosopher who felt that morality, as a virtue, was as capable of being demonstrated just as well as mathematics…..let’s pause for a moment… for us math challenged people!   Widely regarded as the Father of Liberalism, Locke published Two Treatises of Government which shaped revolutionary thought as governments were a result of agreements between people and surely not divinely ordained from God to kings.  His rejection of the aristocratic form of government, his advocation of science as virtue, and other philosophies impressed two major figures at this point in time – one who would become a “president,” Thomas Jefferson; and the “inventor, diplomat, icon…and a human being” known as Ben Franklin.   identify and analyze the importance of Ben Franklin – his expression throughout this “enlightened” period is impressive.  You need to not only highlight at least three (3) of his contributions made within American History, you will also need to discuss Ben Franklin, the man.  How is he remembered throughout history? and just as importantly, how did Ben Franklin want to be remembered?  Your need 250 words must substantively integrate evidence from the assigned materials and include two full citations (a bibliography) https://exhibits.stanford.edu/american-enlightenment/feature/a-letter-from-benjamin-franklin https://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/index.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpNcBBi4gFo