Question

In at least 150 words, discuss how the popularity of such works as Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack and “The Way To Wealth” represented a major transformation in values and way of life in 18th century America.

Answer 1

Benjamin Franklin's "The Way To Wealth" signifies the change from the "puritan plain" writing style to the "protestant work ethic" style. In fact, it wasn't just the writing style that changed, it was American values, traditions, nationalism, and culture that changed during this time as well. The popularity of The Way To Wealth showed that more and more Americans were concerned with higher levels of intellectual knowledge, than they did for futile religious dogma and rhetoric. Furthermore, Americans didn't love with being a colony of the British Empire, so this area in time also represented a gradual change in the American value of British nationalism, to American nationalism. Therefore, besides the fact that Americans were switching from the puritan faith to the protestant doctrine, they were also beginning to change their values in regards to education and British nationalism. The reason being, they no longer wanted education for the rich, but they wanted it for everyone and they weren't fond of being taxed a lot by Great Britain.