George Washington and Benjamin Franklin Essay

George Washington is a revered figure in history. He was the first President of the United States and one of its beloved Founding Fathers. He was â€Å"Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army upon whose victory the thirteen colonies depended to secure their separate and equal station among the powers of the earth† (Rediscovering George Washington, 2002, Introduction, para. 2). The usual facts aside, George Washington is a study of contrasting character traits, modesty and pride. Washington lived up to his legendary self with an immense awareness of who he was. In the book, Portrait of America (Oates & Errico, 2003), Gordon S. Wood points that Washington’s greatest asset is his character; that he was representative of the 18th-century iconic image of a great man of virtue (Essay #10, II, para. 7 & 8). The eighteenth century was a very different era in many respects from the present that his personal concerns then may sound preposterous now. For example, Wood (2003) detailed that Washington was notoriously aloof in keeping with the image of a classical hero (III, para. 5), something that is bane nowadays for someone who occupies or dreams of coveting the highest office of the land. Wood (2003) exposed that Washington was very meticulous of himself especially in the company of others constantly cultivating the ideals of being a proper gentleman from his physical bearings to his personal manners(II, para. 15). He certainly considered his reputation his treasure and he protected it all his life (III, para. 6). There lies his enigma, the possession of two contrasting traits, modesty and pride. Wood (2003) further emphasized that it was his moral character that set him off from other men (II, para. 7). This moral steadfastness has served him well in tempting moments. It is worthy to know that Washington acknowledged but was quite insecure about his lack of formal education compared to his learned peers. Self-criticism impeded his actions like his refusal to travel to France finding to have a conversation through an interpreter indignant to a man of his stature, as Wood (2003, II, para. 16) pointed out. This shortcoming produced a very modest man who had the humility to surrender his powers and retreat from public life, an unprecedented act in the Western world (Wood, 2003, III, para. 2) and which only enhanced his image of greatness. Throughout history, the intoxication of power has often cultivated greed out of its possessors. Coming out of retirement and leading the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, Washington’s untarnished reputation was crucial to the ratification of the proposed Constitution. His reputation then at stake, he worked hard to have it ratified (Wood, 2003, IV, para. 1). This was the typical Washington work ethic: a concern for validation of his deliberate act in the eyes of his peers then and for the future generation. Being the President of a young nation, Wood (2003) pointed that â€Å"Washington was keenly aware that everything he did would set precedents for the future† (V, para. 1). His political contributions are still pervasive today, a testament to his leadership endurance. Wood (2003) concluded that Washington was responsible for establishing the president’s independent role and for making him a dominant figure in the government. He also set the Senate’s limited advisory role to the president in the making of treaties and the appointment of officials. Most importantly, he single-handedly institutionalized the two-term limit of the presidency that it was included in the 22nd amendment to the Constitution in 1951 (V, para. 2, 3, & 7). Another outstanding Founding Father who is best known for his scientific pursuits than his understated political contribution is Benjamin Franklin. In Portrait of America (Oates & Errico, 2003), Richard B. Morris (Essay #6) described Franklin at the beginning of his essay as â€Å"deceptively simple and disarmingly candid, but in reality a man of enormous complexity†. Like George Washington, Franklin was also concerned about living a virtuous life although he was a much more relaxed character than the famous general. Franklin is one who â€Å"seems made of flesh rather than of marble† (Isaacson, 2003). Both bettered themselves through purposeful self-improvement to make up for their lack of formal education. Franklin was blessed with a myriad of talents he used wisely: he was a writer, printer, entrepreneur, skilled negotiator, diplomat, scientist. He espoused such virtues of diligence, frugality, self-discipline, honesty. He loved making lists and the most significant of such is â€Å"as a young man, he made a list of personal virtues that he determined should define his life† (Isaacson, 2006). Franklin used his pen for his causes proving the commonly known expression, the pen is mightier than the sword. As a prolific writer Franklin wrote under the pseudonyms Mrs. Silence Dogood, a character that showed â€Å"the quintessential genre of American folksy humor† (Isaacson, 2006) then later showed more of his humorous side as Poor Richard Saunders for his annual almanac. Satirical writing is still in practice today especially in the criticism of public figures. His affable nature enabled him to successfully temper dissension during the heated deliberations of the proposed Constitution. He was against tyranny especially slavery despite him having black slaves in 1757. He never hesitated to promote his advocacy for freedom of the press and expression, still very much one of the prevalent rights issues in society today. References Isaacson, W. (2003, June 29). Citizen Ben’s Great Virtues. Time Magazine Online. Retrieved October 16, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.time. com/time/2003/franklin/bffranklin. html. Morris, R. B. (2003). Meet Dr. Franklin. In Oates, S. B. , & Errico, C. J. (Eds. ), Portrait of America: Volume One: To 1877 8th Edition (Essay # 6). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Rediscovering George Washington (2002). PBS. Retrieved October 16, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www. pbs. org/georgewashington/father/index. html. Wood, G. S. (2003). The Greatness of George Washington. In Oates, S. B. , & Errico, C. J. (Eds. ), Portrait of America: Volume One: To 1877 8th Edition (Essay # 10). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.