J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur's Letters From and American Fa
During the 1700's, people from many different countries began to swarm to America, causing societies to form and new ideas and opportunities to come about. In The Autobiography of Ben Franklin and John Crevecoeur's Letters From an American Farmer, different ideas of American ideals are expressed. Both men discuss what they believed the duties and traits of an American citizen were, along with their views of religion and government in America. Although Ben Franklin and John Crevecoeur had different opinions about many issues, they had many similar ideas of how anyone could become prosperous in America.Ben Franklin had a strong belief that a respectable American was always open for self improvement. He believed that education was very important, and that it was sufficient to be self taught. Franklin felt that the most important aspect of education was being literate. He felt that if a person knew how to read, they could be self taught and they could defend their liberties and rights which would open many doors to success. Franklin stood behind a set of thirteen virtues that he formulated for himself and for anyone else who wanted to follow in his footsteps. He believed that if one could accomplish these virtues of temperan
Another major part of becoming a true American was being able to be self-reliant. Religion was only another aspect of freedom to John Crevecoeur, because he believed that America allowed religious indifference. He felt that young, single men who were wise and virtuous and free from debt and vise should be in power. However, both men had the same idea of the American Dream and same underlying message to the common man of how to become prosperous and successful in America. Franklin felt that government in America should be run by the elite and that people should strive for moral perfection. To Crevecoeur, citizenship meant participating in government by voting and having a voice in law making. Franklin believed that the ideal form of government for America was "Republicanism" which supported the idea of acting for the good of everyone in society. In this religion, he studied religion more as a science where God rewarded people at the end of their time. Benjamin Franklin and John Crevecoeur had different ideas about many different issues in America and they approached the topics in very different manners. For example, he felt that people in the middle region of the country were more active in government because they were land owners and they considered themselves equal to each other. This was a place for people who wanted to hunt and be away from society with less moral pressure, to practice rugged individualism. It was the people who lived in the middle regions of these groups that Crevecoeur considered to be the "True American Freeholders. However, despite the different views that the two men had, they both agreed that it was important to be a good, hardworking citizen who's goal was to help society as a whole. Franklin felt that one should be able to read to educate themselves, and Crevecoeur thought that people should be able to work their land and be tied to their families. He felt like this type of government appealed to the common man because it would motivate them to become elite, better American citizens.
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