Gabrielle Bear
World History-7, Mr. DeVries
DBQ Title Page
2/23/10
How did Enlightenment ideas influence the American leader,
Benjamin Franklin?
Gabrielle Bear
World History-7, Mr. DeVries
DBQ Prompt, Background Paragraph, and Documents
2/23/10
How did Enlightenment ideas influence the American leader, Benjamin Franklin?
By the mid-1500s, scholars in Europe began challenging authority. They proposed
theories about the natural world and developed procedures to test those ideas. Historians have
called this time period the Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution convinced many
European thinkers about the power of reason. In the 1600s, a new generation began to believe
reason was the best way to understand truth, and decided that reason could be used to solve all
human problems. This time is now called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment inspired many
significant people and their own contributions. One of which was the American leader, Benjamin
Franklin.
Document 1
"Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man". UNISYS Corportation. 2/23/10
<http://www.fi.edu/franklin/>.
"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth
reading, or do things worth the writing."
--Benjamin Franklin
Document 2
"Declaration of Independence". The U.S, National Archives and Records Administration.
2/23/10 <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html>.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in
such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
--The Declaration of Independence, 1776
Document 3
Ramirez, Susan, Peter Stearns, and Sam Wineburg. World History Human Legacy. Orlando,
Austin, New York, San Diego, London: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2008.
“His methodical observations and experiments led him to invent a number of useful items, such
as the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove.”
--World History Human Legacy, 2008
Document 4
Ramirez, Susan, Peter Stearns, and Sam Wineburg. World History Human Legacy. Orlando,
Austin, New York, San Diego, London: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2008.
“In the 1770s Franklin came together with other American Enlightenment thinkers, such as
Thomas Jefferson, to put Enlightenment ideals into practice to create a new government and
nation- the United States.”
--World History Human Legacy, 2008
Document 5
University of Oxford. "People". Voltaire Foundation. 2/23/10
<http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/bestermancentre/people/index.html>.
Document 6
Oswego City School District. "Practice Timelines". Elementary Test Prep Center. 2/23/10
<http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/j/timelinep.cfm>.
Gabrielle Bear
World History-7, Mr. DeVries
DBQ
2/28/10
New philosophers and their ideas influenced the Enlightenment, and the Enlightenment
influenced newer philosophers and their ideas. One of these new philosophers, optimistic
thinkers, scientist, inventor, and economist is the American leader, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin
believed that reason and intelligence could improve the lives of everyone, and in doing so he
designed new inventions and helped create a nation.
Benjamin Franklin was just one of the ideal Enlightenment philosophers in America. As
well as other great philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau, Franklin looked to reason as a
way to understand truth and the natural world. As portrayed by his many contributions, Benjamin
Franklin also believed, "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either
write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." (Document 1) And that’s exactly
what he did.
Benjamin Franklin was not just a philosopher; he was also a scientist. “His methodical
observations and experiments led him to invent a number of useful items…” (Document 3)
Today, Franklin is well known throughout the world as inventing the lightning rod, bifocals, and
the Franklin stove. Using Enlightenment ideas, such as the Scientific Method, Franklin was able
to conduct these experiments and design these items. Through his inventions, Benjamin Franklin
showed that practical applications of scientific knowledge could be used to improve people’s
lives.
Benjamin Franklin is probably known best for his experiments and inventions. However,
he was committed to Enlightenment ideas, and that left an enormous impact on America, what
may be considered a foundation. “In the 1770s Franklin came together with other American
Enlightenment thinkers, such as Thomas Jefferson, to put Enlightenment ideals into practice to
create a new government and nation- the United States.” (Document 4) Together, they declared
independence.
The Enlightenment influenced Benjamin Franklin, but Franklin influenced America, in
more ways than one. Through Enlightenment ideas, he believed he could, and succeeded, in
improving people’s lives.
Gabrielle Bear
World History-7, Mr. DeVries
MLA Works Cited Page
3/1/10
"Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man". UNISYS Corportation. 2/23/10
<http://www.fi.edu/franklin/>.
"Declaration of Independence". The U.S, National Archives and Records Administration.
2/23/10 <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html>.
Ramirez, Susan, Peter Stearns, and Sam Wineburg. World History Human Legacy. Orlando,
Austin, New York, San Diego, London: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2008.
University of Oxford. "People". Voltaire Foundation. 2/23/10
<http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/bestermancentre/people/index.html>.
Oswego City School District. "Practice Timelines". Elementary Test Prep Center. 2/23/10
<http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/j/timelinep.cfm>.