Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of leaders in the New Country who helped steer the colonies to ultimate independence from England. He was known and is still revered in modern times as one of the best-known boosters of America. In 1751, he wrote that land was plentiful "and so cheap. . . that a laboring man that understands husbandry can in a short time save money enough to purchase a piece of land sufficient for a plantation. . . " (page 45). Franklin had the foresight to understand that the vast untamed land that would become America would take many ages to settle.

Franklin touted the security that the purchase of land brought to a young family. The young man who bought a piece of America did not have to worry about his children's futures. Franklin was one of the new country's best admen touting it as the land of opportunity. He contended that a...