Benjamin Franklin

As one can see clearly by the schedule to the right, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps a little excessively orderly. According to his Autobiography, this is what he did every single day. He was the definition of the "self-made man" and thus defined a larger part of the American attitude.

This attitude developed from his foundation, his theology, which also defines a larger part of the American attitude. In our melting pot of a country, Americans are consistently exposed to a whole slew of religions. And who are we to say one is better then the other? To fit in to the melting pot, it is generally best to take a general approach--every religion has some truth to it. As self-made people, we can take care of our own virtue. And this may take the effort of a daily minute by minute schedule, but no pain, no gain.

And there's no doubt that B. Franklin truly did "master" his life--he was and is an international celebrity.

I do wonder though, how different his life may have been if he were a Christian. I mean, obviously, he was a good person anyway and successful too. But still...something to ponder on.

John and Abigail Adams

First of all, what an amazing example for modern day relationships. The strength of their relationship illustrated by their private letters is astounding. "The Letters of John and Abigail Adams" could simply be captioned "Dear Reader, It is Possible--With a Little Effort and Communication."

Second of all, not to sound creepy, but how cool it is to be able to truly stalk a strong and lasting celebrity relationship through letters which actually were written for the personal audience, unlike most of the published early American letters. We get an open and honest look at the life of the early American dynamic of the married life. A look which readers won't ever get now until they are actually married. Or actually stalking. And that actually is creepy.

The wisdoms presented by their correspondence are epic. Perhaps my favorite letter was "Classical Parallels" written by Abigail to John, particularly her reference to Polybius: "there is nothing more desirable, or advantages than peace, when founded in justice and honour, so there is nothing more shameful and at the same time more pernicious when attained by bad measures, and purchased at the price of liberty."

Abigail is also another representation of the triumph of the human spirit over the circumstance of birth; obviously, as one can tell by her grammatical and spelling errors, she was not conventionally educated. However, she was extremely wise and definitely an effective and important American citizen.

J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur

Crevecoeuer was truly an international man. I can't imagine traveling as much as he did, especially considering how long the boat rides were. Upon returning to America in 1783, only to discover that his farm had been burned, his wife was dead, and his children were rooming with people he didn't know may have inspired the first stereotypical country song in America.

In his work "Letters from an American Farmer," he truly captures the spirit of America. It's amazing to me to see how truly influenced our society is still today by the attitude of our founders. The "American Dream" is still at play today. Some of his quotes that illustrate this idea include the following:

"...this is the work of my country men who,....afflicted by a variety of of miseries and wants, restless and impatient, took refuge here. They brought along with them their national genius, to which they principally owe what liberty they enjoy and what substance they possess."
America was built upon a foundation of hope for better lives of liberty, formed by people who would not settle for less then they thought they deserved.

"They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen."
This illustrates that the ideals of the American Dream became an international movement.

"Men are like plants; the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow."
America is a diverse and huge land--Crevecoeur describes human nature's adaptability to the type of climate and land a person lives in. Kind of like how people often look like the pets they own.

Phillis Wheatly

If they had reality TV in 1773, I bet Phillis Wheatly would have made a very interesting subject for a series. Her spirit certainly did triumph over her circumstance of birth, especially displayed by the publishing of her poems at age 19(ish) years old.

The first poem in our selection, "On Being Brought from Africa to America" immediately struck me with her first line. 'Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land. How truly amazing her character must have been--to be grateful to have been a slave because she came to know Christ through it. Her poetry is a model for keeping things in perspective. She brings this gratefulness back into play again her next poem, "To the University of Cambridge, in New England." She called students to be fully grateful not only for their exposure to Christianity, but also their education, their resources to scan the heights... [as] sons of science.

I also love her uses of metaphors, particularly in the second stanza of "Thoughts on the Works of Providence." The peerless monarch of the ethereal train. God, as the mightiest of all, has no peer and rules over all of time, which itself is a graceful piece of art.

Basically, Phillis Wheatly is really cool and I would have wanted to be her friend. Inspiration for humanity!