1. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: THE ICON OF RATIONALISM 1706 - 1790 “…everything but a poet.”

2. A man committed to the commonweal: B. Franklin - “The First American”

3. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin published in various editions 1790 - 1868 If he could, anyone could: runaway apprentice - > working man -> business owner -> civic advocate -> politician -> international diplomat

4. The Moral Essay “Arriving at Moral Perfection” - the thirteen virtues Addresses the Rationalist belief in self-improvement Encourages logical, reasoned, orderly process – One virtue per week, thirteen weeks, repeated 4 times per year = Success! Metaphor of gardener: weeding one bed at a time keeps from overwhelming the gardener

5. Aphorisms

6. Bibliography  EOL  Benjamin Franklin (1778, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) nibiryukov.narod.ru  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin  http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm  http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/inventions.htm  http://www.colourfulpalate.com/2011/07/16/square-foot-gardening/ http://www.colourfulpalate.com/2011/07/16/square-foot-gardening/  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack  http://winnipeganimals.blogspot.com/2010/05/benjamin-franklin-eating- bread.html http://winnipeganimals.blogspot.com/2010/05/benjamin-franklin-eating- bread.html  http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com/ http://thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com/  http://photographicdictionary.com/h/horseshoe http://photographicdictionary.com/h/horseshoe  http://souptonutz.wordpress.com/page/2/