The age of
enlightenment
Edwards
Washington
Henry
Paine
Franklin
Jefferson
Wheatley
Equiano
Banneker
The figure of George Washington
quickly began to play an important
role in the new nation's understanding
of itself.
And he turned out to
be the perfect man
for the job.
His physical presence, his verbal reticence,
and his lack of personal political ambition
set the stage for the creation of a country
based NOT on the power of personality or the
power of the
office but
on moral
and ethical
priorities.
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
Lawyer, statesman who served as governor
of Virginia and delegate to the First
Continental Congress, and fiery orator,
Patrick Henry earned fame
for his patriotic speeches.
His efforts also greatly
contributed to the adoption
of the Bill of Rights
Give me liberty
or give me death.
"Radical," is a title that few men can
wear with ease, but the name Patrick
Henry, during the revolution and for
some time after, was
synonymous with that
word in the minds of
colonists and Empire alike.
Thomas Paine was noted for his
plain talk and persuasive talents.
Tyranny, like
hell, is not easily
conquered!
His pamphlet,
"Common Sense"
helped persuade
the founding
fathers that
freedom from
England was
necessary.
The 15th of 17 children,
Benjamin Franklin left
school at the age of 8 to
work with his father as a
tallow chandler. As an
adult, he was a diplomat,
businessman, philosopher,
scientist, author, humorist,
musician,and printer--a
Renaissance Man.
As a young man, Franklin rebelled against his
Puritan rearing and its apocalyptic tenets.
This image of St.
Michael fighting the
dragon represents the
Millennarian belief
that the “people of
God” were at war with
the devil (Indians.)
He demonstrated his revolutionary thinking
and his quest for moral perfection in the
account of his journey of self-education
The Autobiography of
Benjamin Franklin.
“Dost thou love life? Then do
not squander time, for that is
the stuff life is made of.”
Parents would rail at
their children saying,
“Why can’t you be
more like Benjamin
Franklin?” But that
was impossible; his
genius could not be
replicated.
His “Thirteen Virtues” became
guideposts for the ideal life.
At the signing of the Declaration of
Independence he said, “We must all
hang together, or assuredly we shall
all hang separately.”
Franklin's Poor Richard’s Almanack featured
weather forecasts, drawings. inventions, and
pithy aphorisms.
1. A friend in need is
a friend indeed.
2.Better slip with
foot than tongue.
3.Fish and visitors
smell in three days.
Printing Press
His natural curiosity about the way things
work prompted him to find ways to make
life better
and gave
him the
opportunity
to say
something
pithy.
A Lightning Rod
to protect structures.
The Franklin Stove to
heat homes safely.
Bifocals to help him
see both near and far.
A carriage Odometer to figure out mail routes.
In addition, he established the first fire fighting
company and the first fire insurance company.
The third President of the United States,
and author of the Declaration of
Independence, Thomas
Jefferson was this nation’s
most illustrious champion
of representative democracy
and the rights of man.
Gilbert Stuart
The Declaration's republican enlightenment
ideals have shaped many Americans' identities,
including those who,
like slaves, women,
and immigrants,
have struggled to
make that equality
a reality.
Many Federalists believed him incapable of
leadership, but he responded,"I know my
own principles to be pure and
therefore am not ashamed
of them. On the contrary,
I wish them known and
therefore willingly express
them to everyone.”
(An eagle snatching the constitution)
Phillis Wheatley's patriotic celebrations of
American ideals in her poems are accompanied
by subtle critiques of the injustice of slavery
and the difficulties of
her own situation
as an African
American.
This painting of George Washington crowned in
a laurel wreath is modeled after portraits of
such classical Roman leaders as Julius Caesar.
With is neoclassical touches,
Phillis Wheatley's elegy for
Washington “To His Excellency
General Washington” is the
literary representation of the
same classicism.
The autobiography, The Interesting Narrative
Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano published in
1794, is now recognized as one of the first
literary works by an African American and
helped establish the genre of the slave narrative.
It recounts Equiano's life in
Africa, his capture from Nigeria,
his life as a slave in the West
Indies, and his eventual freedom
in
England and the New World.
Since the genre of the slave narrative requires
an actively political work, its rhetorical
strategies originate in an intention to persuade
the audience of the evils of slavery and the slave
trade. Thus, it contains a
tension
between historical
representation and
cultural
persuasion with incidents
chosen
more for their strategic
rhetorical
unity than for their
historical significance.
Born a freeman just outside of Baltimore, MD
Benjamin Banneker was a scientist, astronomer,
inventor, and writer. He compiled the
ephemeris (information table) for an annual
almanac and, through his study
of astronomy, accurately
predicted both solar and
lunar eclipses. He was often pointed
to as proof that African Americans were
intellectually equal to European Americans.
Upon Thomas Jefferson’s recommendation,
Banneker became the surveyor for the new city
of Washington, D.C. He reportedly
completed and improved
upon the original design
begun by Frenchman
Pierre L’Enfant.