w man. In this way, he sees religion not as an abstract or other-worldly social concept but as a function of society for its utility and usefulness. He does believe in G-d and thanks him for all that he has received but, similar to Frederick Douglass, is aware of the falsehoods being taught in mainstream religion. For instance, he describes a local ministers sermons as "their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens." Although he did not believe in any one religion, he did feel that they were good for the community and actively supported the Presbyterian minister, Jewish temples, and other groups. 2.) Industry/Self-Improvement: Franklin often can be seen assuming that any effort will be successful if the proper amount of hard work is applied to it. He was, however, aware that he had been very lucky and that few efforts would reach fruition without some effects of luck. It is interesting to see how at every turn Franklin had some sort of system or method laid out, followed it step-by-step, and achieved the intended result. Many people today can think of what it would take to be successful at something (say a sport or skill) but few know so thoroughly the correct path to take and actually walk down it to its end. We observe this ability even in his childhood. At the time, these attitudes toward self-actualization were unheard-of. Societies the world over were still mired in deeply entrenched class structures and rejecting ideas about Arminianism (the doctrine of good works) and the Enlightenment. As mentioned earlier, this is essentially the first self-help book. Franklin taught Americans and many others the belief that they could do what he had done - come from virtually nowhere to world popularity with hard work and belief. 3.) American Identity: At the time that this work was written, Americans still thought of themselves as Englishmen who happened to be in the America colonies. Franklin was one of the first...
