by Blair Bordelon

Created on: October 04, 2008

Benjamin Franklin was a great writer, inventor, philosopher, and politician, whose unyielding confidence and unrivaled wit offered much hope to our fledgling nation. While some have chastised him for being too vain or seemingly indifferent to those around him, I believe a little vanity was exactly what a people on the verge of fighting for their independence needed. As for his indifference, Franklin's writings seem to show the complete opposite. It may be argued that no man cared as much for this country and the people in it as he, for without him, America as we know it may have never been. Two of Franklin's stories, "The Way of Wealth" and "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America", particularly show the value of his self-assuredness and his utmost care for his fellow Americans.

The Poor Richard's Almanac, first published in 1733, had long been an important encyclopedia of real life lessons and hard truths for the eighteenth century colonists. In 1758, Franklin published the 25th edition version, "The Way of Wealth", which acted as a review of all of his maxims under the guise of a speech given by the fictitious Father Abraham. In his speech to a group of people waiting for an auction to start, Father Abraham quotes Poor Richard incessantly to explain the importance of hard work, endurance, and economy. The constant use of his own work and ideals as a reference in this essay may seem to be proof of Franklin's conceited nature. But if Franklin was vain, it was not without reason. The lessons taught in Father Abraham's speech are just as important and undeniable today as they were almost three centuries ago. So if Franklin ever did "sometimes quote himself with great gravity" (Franklin 220), it can only be because his words have indeed proven to be great.

But even if Franklin did at times think highly of himself, he was never one to put others beneath him. If ever a person loved his fellow man, that person was Benjamin Franklin. In his "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America", Franklin reveals an open mind and accepting heart when it comes to other cultures. His beliefs on this are quite the same as the ones civil rights activists have been drilling into this country since the second half of the twentieth century: that just because someone is different from you, does not mean that they are beneath you. The common consensus in Franklin's time was that the Native Americans were "savages" because they had different beliefs and customs than the Christian

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