Ben and the American Dream

What is the American dream and what does it have to do with Ben Franklin? The dream of Americans is freedom, but more importantly one of achieving wealth, but not just a little, a lot. It is not an accident that Ben ended up on the $100 bill, and not the $1 or the $5. He made it rich in the way Americans want to believe that it can happen to them, through their hard work, and intelligence. When Ben was growing up, if your dad was a particular socio-economic class, you were not only likely to become the same, but you were probably going to be in the same profession as well. Even though Ben did not end up in the same trade as his dad, he still ended up a tradesman, as a printer. However, he was able to use this to further his career and become somewhat of a celebrity figure and through hard work, intelligence, and an extraordinary personality. He wasn't exactly a rags to riches story, but certainly a "hand-me-downs" to riches story. He later was used as the patron saint of capitalism, by the industrialists of the 19th century.

A couple of question emmerge for me? 1. Is Ben's story and the American Dream one that just any American can replicate?
2. How does the American Dream effect us today?

I do not think that what I need to learn from Ben is that I, could be like him. It would be like me saying that if I just practiced shooting the ball, I could be as good as good a player as M.J. However, as the industrialist started making their obscene $, they perpetuated the myth of Franklin, which said 'the common man can work hard, save prudently, and then again, work hard, and you too, will be rich and famous', like Ben. After all, Ben said "God helps them who helps themselves." Hard work is usually necessary, but not sufficient when it comes to success. Usually there are other factors at play, and this was true with Ben as well. So, for the next time, I will explore the factors involved in Ben's success, and why capatalists want to ignore them.