The spirit of exploration and innovation is the perfect interpretation of the American Dream.
Benjamin Franklin is a name that still makes Americans proud. He is not only a famous American politician, scientist, diplomat, inventor, publisher, printer, reporter, writer... he is also one of the founders of the United States of America, a pioneer of the American independence movement, and the drafter of the Declaration of Independence. ; He was the only founding father to sign simultaneously the three most important legal documents of the United States: the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the 1783 Treaty of Paris (obtaining France's recognition of the newly independent United States), and the 1787 U.S. Constitution 》.
In 1723, when Benjamin Franklin was 17 years old, he ran away from home and came to Philadelphia, and has since become a loyal resident of this second hometown: Philadelphia was much larger than New York or Boston at that time. He established his own printing company, published newspapers, and published his own articles, and gained considerable respect in the local society. Later, he co-organized Philadelphia's first public library, a university (the predecessor of the University of Pennsylvania), the first post office, a hospital (later becoming the first hospital in the United States) and an influential Academic societies.
He invented bifocal lenses and smokeless wood-burning stoves. He considered these scientific experiments and inventions a public service, so he never applied for a patent or received any compensation for these inventions. Ask for reward.
In order to prove the theory that lightning is electricity, he even flew a kite with his son in a storm in the wilderness and let lightning hit him; he invented the lightning rod; he discovered that electric charges have equal positive and negative poles; he He wrote a paper on tornadoes; he proposed the theory of storm movement in meteorology; he invented flippers because he wanted to swim faster in the water; he found branches with sprouting leaves in willow baskets imported from abroad and planted them. America's first willow trees; he also diagnosed the source of lead poisoning in glass and ceramics craftsmen, treated spasms with electroshock therapy, correctly determined that dark clothes absorb more heat than light ones, and more.
Before the independence of the United States of America, young colleagues such as Benjamin Franklin and Jefferson set out to establish a new representative country in the Continental Congress in this spirit of exploration. Walter Isaacson, author of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life," points out that in drafting the founding platform, Franklin drew on his experience conducting scientific experiments and inventions, as well as what he learned about the physical world. Out of rationality. He helped design the federal government system. The states later shared power equally under this system under the central government. He wrote the famous saying "We hold the following truths to be self-evident" into the Declaration of Independence drafted by Jefferson. This statement refers to the inalienable rights of mankind.
Because Benjamin Franklin had a knack for combining practical things with fun—another American trait, it is said—his influence remains, and this environment that encouraged creative thinking made The United States became a hotbed of innovation throughout the 19th century.
Even today, the United States remains the most influential country in scientific and technological research and technological product innovation. Many of the most important inventions in the history of human industry, such as the cotton gin, universal parts, production lines, airplanes, light bulbs, telephones, etc., all originated in the United States, especially the industrial production line, which turned industrial large-scale production from a dream into a reality. The United States also implemented the famous atomic bomb program, the Apollo moon landing program, and the human genome project in the 20th century. It can be said that Benjamin Franklin predicted the future of the United States to a large extent.
From the perspective of Americans, the United States does not have a splendid history and culture to show off in its short 200-year founding process, but it will have a bright future because of its innovative spirit. Therefore, the courage to challenge tradition and authority, and the courage to challenge everything that exists, constitutes the distinctive character of Americans and the connotation of the American spirit. As an outstanding representative of this American spirit, Benjamin Franklin will live forever in the hearts of Americans.