Benjamin Franklin and Pocahontas are two outstanding Americans, who made a significant contribution to the development of the American society and its country, in general. Their actions and the course of their lives are recounted in books, documentaries, feature films, and plays and describe the importance of their deeds. Despite the fact that their actions are so important for the national heritage and the development of history, their lives were also highly influenced by the historical developments and the political processes, which took part during their lifetime.
Despite the fact that Pocahontas and Benjamin Franklin lived in different centuries, XVI-XVII and XVIII respectfully, their lives were influenced by historical developments, connected with the establishment of the United States and its relationship with the European countries. Pocahontas, as well as Benjamin Franklin, proved that the Americans are worth to be respected and for their views to be taken into consideration. For example, after Pocahontas married an Englishmen, John Rolfe, the purpose why she was taken to England was to exemplify the harmonious Anglo-Indian relationship. What is more, Pocahontas was treated like royalty because she was a daughter of the chief of the tribe (History). The same can be said about Benjamin Franklin because he wanted to challenge the stereotypes of the Americans considered to be “the chaff of English society, which was not able to make it in England” (U.S. History).
The reason for such a firm and active social position is their reaction to political developments. Both of them tried to reconcile different political views in a peaceful way. Thus, Pocahontas was the first Indian, who married the European and who united the Native Americans and Englishmen, willing to create harmonious relationship between them. What about Benjamin Franklin, he wanted to protect the Americans from an unfair estimate and make several efforts to gain a mutual understanding between two continents.
All these historical developments highly influenced their actions and lead to an active social position. Benjamin Franklin “served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a diplomat abroad,” and spent many years in England with the purpose of building the long-standing relationship (U.S. History). Of course, Pocahontas’s contribution and actions were not as active as of Benjamin Franklin, but, still, she sacrificed the life in her own community with the members of the family for building good terms between the Englishmen and Indians.
As it usually happens, the lives of such eminent people are always influenced by the current actions. In case, of Benjamin Franklin and Pocahontas, they gained a world-wide acknowledgment, and their names are known in all the countries, although, their actions influenced their lives in positive as well as in negative ways. Benjamin Franklin devoted many years of his life to the developments in political, scientific, educational, and social spheres, which made him wealthy and famous. At the same time, due to different political views, he was in bad terms with his son William, who was a Loyalist, and they have never reconciled (United States History). What about Pocahontas, it is hard to judge whether she was happy with her marriage to John Rolfe, and how difficult it was to be between two confronting parts. Her contribution to the relationship between the Indians and British people is vast, but it cost her dear, as she got ill in England and died at the age of 22 (History).
Pocahontas and Benjamin Franklin did a lot for the sake of their country, but, at the same time, the political and historical developments they took part in influenced their lives as well. During such a short Pocahontas’s and such a long Franklin’s lives, they showed devotion and love for their homeland and proved the importance of building a respectful relationship with people from other countries.
Works Cited
1. “Benjamin Franklin.” United States History. PBS Online. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
2. “Pocahontas.” History. PBS Online, 2009. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
3. “The Ideas of Benjamin Franklin.” U.S. History. PBS Online. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
