The reasons for seeking the relative comfort of the United States of America are numerous; some do so for economic gain, others aspire to escape oppressive government regimes, and so on. However, one overarching motivation encompasses every individual quest to make America their home: the American dream. Just as the reasons for becoming a citizen of the United States have been diverse, the concepts of the American dream have been equally unique to any individual or group. When the Mayflower, starring a vigorous William Bradford, set sail in 1620, the large group of Puritans aboard the ship founded what is commonly considered the first American Dream inspired by freedom from religious persecution. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Later, as the colonies shed their British overlord at the rate of musket fire and began to truly materialize in the form of the United States, Benjamin Franklin wrote of an American dream that propelled the evolution of a sovereign nation and sought to teach its youth to ensure that what he had helped create was left in capable hands. Bradford, throughout his Of Plymouth Plantation, and Franklin, in his Autobiography, had crucial differences in their respective depictions of the American dream, such as its catalyst and its relationship to religion. Yet the two proved undeniably similar in their leadership, as well as overall message for the American dream. Considering the differences and similarities, both Bradford and Franklin prove profound and unrivaled in their contributions to early conceptions of the American Dream, paving the way for the melting pot we know today as the United States of America . Let's first look at the historical context of William Bradford and Benjamin Franklin. Without it, their American dreams would have little meaning. Bradford, a Puritan in the early 1600s, lived under the ever-tightening grip of the British crown and anticipated an imminent takeover by Spain. Obviously, neither bodes well for his group of “saints.” So, with the blessing of the crown, they fled to Holland, then America aboard the Mayflower, facing a multitude of obstacles along the way. Franklin, however, lived and worked in a very different situation. In the first part of his Autobiography, Franklin lived in an America still under British rule, only beginning to sow the seeds of revolution. In parts 2 and 3, the revolution was over and a sovereign nation was in place. first stages of cohesion. While Bradford and Franklin were obviously writing about quite different points in American history, it is clear that they were both confronting the development of a nascent region and seeking to understand, then lead their respective peoples toward the American Dream . Bradford and his fellow Puritans are no big secret. Quite early in Of Plymouth Plantation (Plymouth), he describes the Puritans' standing within English society as essentially hopeless, explaining that they "were hunted and persecuted on every side, so that their former afflictions were not lost." were but flea bites compared to those which now fell upon them” (123). Thus, religious freedom in the face of the authoritarian, Anglican-fueled crown forced the Puritans to seek refuge. First, Bradford and company traveled to Holland to finally set their sightson the "countries of America, which are fertile and suitable for habitation, being devoid of all civilian inhabitants" (125), and thus was born the initial American dream, animated by the desire to practice a reformed religion without oppression. After about a century, Franklin found solace in another catalyst for his conception of the American dream. Franklin gains the confidence to begin defining the American dream – in this case, America's future as a sovereign nation – from pleas such as that of Abel James, writing in his letter: "The influence which the writings of this class have on the minds of the young... This leads the young almost insensibly to the resolution of striving to become as good and as eminent as the journalist.” (527). Given that it is this letter, as well as another, that Franklin presents in his Autobiography, it is clear that they influenced him to modify the text to write to his son. Franklin chose instead to address the American population, and above all the nation's youth, in order to realize his virtuous and industry-laden American dream. Steven Forde further attributes this motivation to Franklin, as he explains "that the serious mission of the Autobiography was nothing. less than the education of a new nation, taking as its model the life and spirit of Franklin” (357). Thus, while Bradford conceived his American dream from a religious necessity to establish a place of freedom for the Puritans, Franklin would later expound his version of the concept from the nudging of his counterparts, who convinced him that his work – built from his life and his values ​​– would encourage the population, particularly young people, to continually advance the Franklinian American dream. Although Bradford and Franklin's motivations for realizing their individual American dreams clearly differed, the substance of those dreams proved similar in their deviation. One major characteristic stands out unabashedly: religion. As a Puritan, in Bradford's mind, the American dream revolved around religion. Often involving biblical passages, as well as God in particular in Plymouth, Bradford sought to instruct "the lesson which later generations might learn from his account of the Pilgrim's safe passage to Plymouth." God helped the Plymouth congregation…This statement that God works throughout history to ensure the triumph of his people…implies a sense of special destiny” (Daly 558). Religious statements of this type are made in Plymouth, an example being when Bradford includes the union that was drawn up aboard the Mayflower before landing, featuring statements such as "having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith…a journey to establish the first colony” (138). Therefore, religion is not only the catalyst that led Bradford to the American dream, but it is the main component of his American dream itself. Franklin, however, proved to be the antithesis of Bradford's religious American dream. As a deist, Franklin believed in a divine power but did not call upon that power to spur his American dream, explaining in the second part of his autobiography that although he lived by some basic religious principles, "some dogmas of this persuasion, such as the eternal decrees of God… appeared to me unintelligible, others doubtful, and I very early absented myself from the public assemblies of the sect” (533). The contrast between the first two American dreams is palpable. While Bradford sought to establish freedom for his religion to practice without persecution – leading to his religiously-inflected American Dream – Franklin strove to establish that although it wasimportant in the daily lives of many, religion was not and did not need to be a powerful force. within the American dream. Rather, as groups of people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds were settling in the United States, Franklin chose to simply address religion, because although virtuous in some respects, religion would prove to be a volatile subject which need not encompass the American dream to the extent that Bradford's did. Although much thought has been given to the contrast between Bradford and Franklin in terms of the American dream, it is essential to recognize their similarities. On the one hand, Bradford and Franklin were both unprecedented leaders of their time, which allowed their versions of the American dream to be widely disseminated via their respective texts. Bradford, “Soon after their arrival...was elected governor. His duties involved more than that title might imply today: he was chief judge and juror, oversaw agriculture and commerce, and allocated land” (121). Being of such great importance to early Americans, combined with the fact that he was so deeply committed to the Puritan message, Bradford writes from a position of power with a community mindset. Who better, at that time, to describe the early American dream than the man who led the Puritan effort for freedom? The simple answer is no one. By being the figure who contributed so much to the establishment of the first American colony, Bradford was able to effectively use his leadership to advance his American dream. Aside from the fact that Franklin was a historically monumental genius, the sense of leadership hardly differs. By inserting Franklin into a historical context, he proved to be “an obvious choice in [the] frantic search for icons” (Mulford 419). In other words, Franklin was revered by the masses, in America and Europe, both for his brains and his leadership. Returning to the letters that Franklin presents in the second part of his autobiography, Benjamin Vaughn pleads with Franklin that if he were to continue the work, it would "present a picture of the internal circumstances of your country...And in view of the eagerness with which such information is sought…and from the extent of your reputation, I know of no more effective publicity than that which your biography would give” (527). Therefore, not only was Franklin a leader of the times, but his thoughts on topics such as the American Dream were passionately desired. Corresponding in their leadership roles, Bradford and Franklin equally use their status in order to captivate their audiences, leading to effective presentations of their individual American dream. No similarity between Bradford and Franklin comes across as easily as the couple's overall message of adversity. In the case of Bradford, Plymouth demonstrates significant adversity throughout the text. This is easy to understand given that the Puritans were seeking to inhabit a place about which they had rather minimal knowledge. However, going further back in the text, Bradford uses the Puritans' sojourn in Holland to show that any successful American dream begins with significant difficulties. From the time the group had been in Holland for several years, "several of them were taken missing by death, and many others began to be badly struck as the years went by, the grave mistress Experience having taught them much of things” (124). Among the sick, dying and overworked, Bradford's American dream was born. In his eyes, all these trials came by the grace of God to show the group that perseverance is the only way.. 2016.