TJ

Each of the four authors we studied this week made a tremendous impact on defining America as we know it today. They all did this in their own way. Franklin addressed the attitude of the American people. His words of wisdom were meant to inspire people to be productive and in the end, successful. Many of his sayings we still find useful today. Crevecoeur talked extensively about the broader picture of America. He saw it as a “melting pot” which is a term we use to this day when speaking about the ideas he discussed. America was certainly defined through his words about how the progression of colonies growth would take place. His description is geared more towards someone who has never been to America before, and he sure makes it sound like a great place to be. Like Franklin, Paine was speaking to the individual American when he wrote his Common Sense pamphlets. He was trying to “rally the troops” in a sense, and give the colonial people a much needed wake up call. However, I believe that Jefferson and his Declaration of Independence had the biggest impact on defining America. He spoke about the American ideals, the rights and liberties of her people, and the choice to cast off a tyrannical government if Americans found it necessary to do so. Most notably, he defined freedom in a way that would define our nation for the rest of time.