Similarities Between Patrick Henry And Benjamin Franklin

The American dream carries a different meaning for every person. The definition may also change according to the time period and situation. In many sources, the American dream is defined as the ideal that all United States citizens should have equal opportunity to obtain success and prosperity through dedication. Two famous speeches, “The Speech at the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry and “The Speech in the Constitutional Convention” by Benjamin Franklin, define the term American dream during the time we were fighting for our independence. These speeches helped define the American dream by motivating the colonists to build the foundation foundation of the term, which is freedom and independence. “The Speech at the Virginia Convention” , given by Patrick Henry, is undoubtedly one of the most famous speeches in American literature. The speech was given on March 23rd of 1775 (Henry, Patrick). The speech explains the urgency to break free from British rule. Henry explained how time and time again we had tried to peacefully negotiate with King

“The Speech at the Constitutional Convention” , given by Benjamin Franklin, was a moving point for our freedom. Franklin was a well respected man for doing many things for our country; such as serving as the president of Pennsylvania executive council and many other honorable positions (Franklin, Benjamin). Allowing him to elaborate was a key component of helping define the term American dream. Franklin being well respected and very charismatic allowed him to effectively broadcast why he believed that the constitution should be ratified. The constitution was an important symbol for demonstrating that the colonists were qualified for self rule. Because of Franklin’s mutual respect between his audience and himself, it allowed listeners of the convention to be more open minded about his