America's Greatest Leaders (Ben Franklin & Thomas Paine)

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America’s Greatest Leaders
The United States of America has never disappointed when it comes to heroism. The nation has had a sense of patriotism that surpasses all other nations. The citizens have throughout history supported leaders based on their principles and what they have to offer on their behalf. As a result, many leaders who have been declared as leaders in the country have been people of unquestionable character. When a person is asked therefore to name amongst all the leaders’ two influential leaders, a person is faced with a huge task of sifting through leaders of exemplary character as all of them deserve the stature of “Best Leader.” However, Thomas Paine and Ben Franklin can be regarded as the most influential leaders in American History. Their contribution to American history is profound as will be exemplified in the rest of the essay The literary prowess of Thomas Paine allowed him to attack the King of England using his writings. His writings promoted equality, and that is why he was analytical in asking why the king was above his subjects. Paine’s writings existed during the Romantic Movement when he wrote The Age of Reason, when both the American and the French revolutions pushed for rationalistic instruments to support individualism and freedom as expresses by romanticism (Reason and Revolution 121). The writings sparked in many the thought of existing freely and participating in activities without being reprimanded by a higher authority.
In fact Paine suggests that America could have prospered better had they not been under British rule or any other power thereof. Paine considered the administration of the America colony by the British colonial empire as a contradiction to nature as he believed in freedom and individuality. He suggests that British rule never made America bigger by any standards. His writings gave the people of America hope that they can exist on their own free from the British rule which was considered as oppressing and viewed as an obstacle to freedom. His writings contributed a lot in the drafting of the Bill of Rights as it embodies the teachings and beliefs he had in his works. Benjamin Franklin can be viewed as an iconic figure in the history of the United States. He was never a representative in congress neither was he ever elected to Congress (Morgan 14). But he sure did earn the title of the very first greatest American. What he was able to achieve as a civic ...