ASHTON ELLIS
Contributing Writer
In a generation of giants, Benjamin Franklin towered over the American landscape like few politicians have since. The holder of an honorary doctorate from Oxford could claim many titles: scientist, college president, founder of the first public library and volunteer fire department. It was his work as a statesman though, that solidified his place in our national pantheon.
Franklin, born Jan. 17, 1706, made perhaps his greatest contribution to America’s development in the summer of 1787 at the constitutional convention. During those hot and stormy days Franklin assumed the role of consensus-builder in chief. At issue during the debates was how to compose membership in the national assembly. After heated exchanges about equal versus proportional representation in the Congress, Franklin eased the way for Robert Sherman/Livingstone’s “Great Compromise” to be adopted. In it, both factions were appeased. The smaller states would get equal representation in the Senate, while the larger states could get a proportionate amount of representatives in the House. Although such an agreement did not make for great men, he reasoned, it did ensure a great democracy.
Had he been a younger man, Franklin (he died at the age of 84 in 1790) might have been considered for a more distinguished position in the new government than Postmaster General, a post he held in America’s pre-Constitution days. And then again, maybe not. You see, Franklin had a problem; he was part of the original creative minority that spoke out to abolish slavery. Sometimes, this trait rewarded him as it did in Philadelphia; at other times it reaped only a whirlwind.
Ratification of the Constitution had barely been secured when he began advocating for the abolition of slavery and the full integration of Africans into American life. A Quaker delegation from his home state of Pennsylvania brought a petition to the House he helped create, demanding action on this issue. After vigorous debate, the House failed to reach a consensus, and the issue was tabled. Undeterred, Franklin pressed forward with his convictions. Though not in his lifetime, the creative minority that he helped lead, succeeded, and with the passage of the 13th Amendment, slavery was abolished.
People like Franklin exist today. Principled, yet pragmatic, Franklin’s spirit lives on in the lives of other great Americans passionate about the success of this great country. On Jan. 16, America celebrated the life of another principled, pragmatic man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His call for racial integration was radical, yet peaceful. Eschewing the hate speech and violence adopted by others, King made the strength of his belief in a unified America powerfully felt through his uplifting words and his enduring patience.
In order for us to follow leaders such as Franklin and King, we must first recognize them as leaders. We must teach ourselves to distinguish true leadership from the Hollywood heroes foisted upon us by a mentality seeking to make a profit off our lowest common denominators. All too often, modern day heroes are pushed aside, and in their place rise up travesties such as Howard Stern and Ted Kennedy.
People yearn to be inspired, to have something to grap. Benjamin Franklin had a vision for great democracy; King had a dream of a great people. How divinely appropriate it is that these two men share such a close proximity to one another on our collective calendar. This year, may they live on in our collective memories as well.
01-19-2006