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How Did Benjamin Franklin Influence The Declaration Of Independence

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When you think about the construct of the United States of America, you think of a group of men assembling to debate the status of the relationship the colonies shared with Great Britain. However, there are a few notable figures, as well as their writing, that influenced the makeup and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin is one of the prominent benefactors in the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin as well as his autobiography, opposed to Thomas Paine and his work Common Sense, was the leading factor in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. While the two lived and wrote at the same time, contributing to the founding of the United States; the differential weight they carried in terms of their literature was vital to the Declaration.
In Paine 's Common Sense, he begins to argue the case of American independence from Great Britain. Paine also has the notion of government being a necessary evil, keeping the vices of man in check. He argues the hereditary succession is bad; man being born into a world of equality. Paine states that hereditary succession brings incompetent kings, corruption, and civil …show more content…

In this autobiography, Benjamin Franklin establishes what it is to be a hardworking man, as well as brings his thoughts about Deism to light. Franklin creates the aphorism "God helps those who help themselves," to illustrate the need for self-help within the colonies. This alone is one of the leading factors-- if not the leading -- that drove the colonists to fight for independence. Colonists were wanting separation from Great Britain long before Thomas Paine and Common Sense; they were just too afraid to express their feelings until he distributed it. However, by that time, the colonies were already headed into the Revolutionary War to fight for their independence.

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