J. Hector St. John Crevecoeurs Letters From and American Fa essays

J. Hector St. John Crevecoeurs Letters From and American Fa essays During the 1700s, people from many different countries began to swarm to America, causing societies to form and new ideas and opportunities to come about. In The Autobiography of Ben Franklin and John Crevecoeurs Letters From an American Farmer, different ideas of American ideals are expressed. Both men discuss what they believed the duties and traits of an American citizen were, along with their views of religion and government in America. Although Ben Franklin and John Crevecoeur had different opinions about many issues, they had many similar ideas of how anyone could become prosperous in America. Ben Franklin had a strong belief that a respectable American was always open for self improvement. He believed that education was very important, and that it was sufficient to be self taught. Franklin felt that the most important aspect of education was being literate. He felt that if a person knew how to read, they could be self taught and they could defend their liberties and rights which would open many doors to success. Franklin stood behind a set of thirteen virtues that he formulated for himself and for anyone else who wanted to follow in his footsteps. He believed that if one could accomplish these virtues of temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility, they would be lead to moral perfection. However, he acknowledged that no one could be perfect, and therefore an honest attempt at living by these virtues was what made an idealistic American. John Crevecoeur also believed in a good, solid, independent personality, however he defined Americans as free and able to live their life the way they preferred. He focused a lot on how America was full of opportunity where people could practice equality, unlike Europe where there were solely Lords with tenants and servants. He felt that people tended to group themselves i...