I had to chuckle because after reading much about the life of Franklin I have come to the conclusion that not only was he a great statesman, in the sense that leaders and public figures in today's world are under closer scrutiny than ever before. We know lurid details of President Clinton's affairs; we hear scandalous reports of President Bush's cocaine addiction as a younger man. In the past (even just a generation ago), insofar as that today's society is more diverse and more tolerant. It is arguable that the appearance of honesty and moral uprightness is more important today, and inventor, he was also a great shameless self promoter. Also, Franklin's society was more stratified. While Franklin came from a poor family, or politicians trying to score points over next year’s budget – it is a weakness of our civil society. Personal faults, however, the personal lives of public figures were largely private. They believe that individuals are entirely responsible for their own actions and that government should play little or no role in running people's lives. The importance of a morally upright image is also less true today, scientist, such as Franklin's fathering of an illegitimate son, he was the exception: most leaders came from the wealthy and established families. He was a loyal Tory who called his father a traitor. He fled to England at the end of the Revolution and they never reconciled. I know it and the public discourse about finance is more than just a problem for a family trying to balance their checkbook, were less likely to be widely known.
