History 102-03

First Long Paper:

Martin Luther
~
Benjamin Franklin

LIFTING HEAVEN’S THUMB:

FROM RELIGION TO SECULARIZATION

By

Melinda S. Wrocklage

University of Louisville

March 8, 2004
LIFTING HEAVEN’S THUMB:
FROM RELIGION TO SECULARIZATION

Part 1:
Martin Luther

Italy had become a cynical society, left with nothing to replace

their lost faith; the popes were corrupt, fixated with warfare, riches, and
women. The Babylonian Captivity, the Great Schism, and the creation of
the Conciliar Antipope further undermined the Pope’s credibility. The
Conciliar Movement ended with the betrayal and execution of Johann
Hus. The Northern Renaissance began a bit later than the Italian
Renaissance; a rebirth of learning had developed throughout Europe.
Great thinkers, shut out of the political arena, found a home on religious
ground. Lecturing the importance of individuality in finding God, one
such thinker, Thomas a Kempis wrote The Imitation of Christ, in which he
urged people to imitate Christ by taking up the cross in a symbolic way
to fight evil inside and out. Hair shirts were worn to remind people to
constantly struggle; such as the one worn by Thomas Moore whose
Utopia described an ideal society where common people shared power.
Erasmus‘s Handbook of the Militant Christian, a very violent and
aggressive book, preached to carry the dagger of faith at all times against
ever-present evil. Both, Erasmus and Moore wanted an individualistic
approach to the Bible; the church was becoming more militant as people
were ready to fight for change. Later, both Erasmus and Luther would
prove their forceful fury at the corruption found in the Roman Catholic
Church with their verbose use of scatological language.

Italian businesses gradually moved north to the Netherlands,

which inherited Italian Republicanism. Having such a distant lord as the
Duke of Burgundy, Mercantilism became just a small part of the
economy, mixing with capitalism; this same system was also in place in
the Germanies; particularly in Saxony, where Luther grew up. The
separate German Principalities enjoyed their autonomy outside of the
yearly Diets, or Parliament established by the Statute of Cividale; this
autonomy, further enhanced by the Golden Bull, which granted 7
Electoral Principalities the right to vote for the subsequent Holy Roman
Emperors, prevented the Germanies to amalgamate into a nation.
Several of the Holy Roman Emperors wanted to gain back the control
that was lost with these decrees; understandably, the Princes were not
interested in losing their established independence and so decided to try
to elect one of their own as Holy Roman Emperor. The Electoral Saxony
Principality in which Luther was born was ruled by a very powerful
aristocrat, Duke Frederick Vettin, or Frederick the Wise; requested to

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 2 of 14 7/23/2009

run for Holy Roman Emperor, he eventually accepted. Charles IV then
negotiated with Frederick to bow out of the election in exchange for
certain advantages; Frederick agreed and then made use of these
advantages by assuring that the excommunicated Luther would be
protected from execution. Consecutive Holy Roman Emperors married
strategically; and as a result, Charles V had become the most powerful
person in Europe.

At that time, it was acceptable for the Catholic Church, in an

attempt to earn money, to scatter monks throughout Europe, having
them sell indulgences; supposedly, each one of these pieces of paper
guaranteed passage out of Purgatory or even Hell. “With the approval of
the pope, individual bishops could sell indulgences which…substituted
the good works of the Catholic clergy for the good works required of the
individual believer [for salvation].”1 Archbishop Albrocht sent Monk
Tetzel to sell them in the Saxony Principality, with the motto: “as soon as
the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”2 During
the time the Italian cities were forming into separate republics and the
Holy Roman Empire’s Principalities were failing to come together, a time
of nation building had begun in France, Spain, and England. To gain
control over the businessmen, a Mercantilism was developed, a
regulating economy in which Ministers of Finance and Ministers of
Commerce were established; these men were in charge of Guild Laws,
which controlled quality, pricing, and competition. One compromise the
Monarchies gave to their businessmen was to expel the Jews from their
nations, since they could not own property and could move freely
throughout Europe, they created much competition. The Holy Roman
Emperor invited these displaced Jews to stay in the Germanies,
advancing his wealth from their presence.

Aristocrats owned all of the land; freed serfs could only rent land.
Martin’s father, Hans Luder (the family-name Luder later gradually
changed to the more refined Luther), was the son of a landless peasant;
he took a risk and went into copper mining, a very daring move since it
still was not regulated. Although mining was so unreliable, he was still
able to accumulate enough wealth to send Luther to college when the
time came. Even though Hans was now considered a middle-classman,
he yearned to be one of the Patricians, who were Guild Masters or
Ministerials. Hans wanted his son to follow his wife’s relatives, the
college-educated Lindelman family, made up of Ministerials, generally
lawyers and doctors serving the aristocrats. Luther’s strict background,
1
Hooker. World Civilizations.
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REFORM/NORTHERN.HTM
2
Post, Maria, “Historically Reformed: Luther changes history,” November
2, 2001. URL: http://www-stu.calvin.edu/chimes/2001.11.02/fea2.html

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 3 of 14 7/23/2009

as well as having a very sensitive nature, may have had a lot to do with
his lifelong bouts of depression and anxiety; although he was always
proud of being brought up in the peasant class. Hans sent him to the
University of Erfurt; his success there and his love for learning probably
came from the Lindelmans. Not willing to openly defy his father’s wishes,
he headed home after graduating with his Masters Degree, intending to
enter law school. Possibly the thunderstorm which struck on the way
provided him with the seemingly perfect solution away from this course;
his prayer to St. Anne (the patron saint for both students and miners)
giving him an unarguable excuse to enter the Augustinian monastery;
taking salvation very seriously, he believed that it could be found in the
virtuous monastery, fully aware that living a Monastery life meant
“killing off one’s own will, meager meals, coarse clothing, hard work
during the day, keeping vigil during the night, chastising the flesh, self-
mortification by begging, [and] extensive fasting”3. He was plagued by
his fear of damnation and worked hard to perfect himself by faithfully
praying, fasting and humbling himself, confessing to numerous (mostly
imaginary) sins, and heavily studying (in time obtaining his doctorate in
theology), but in his own eyes he continued to fail and did not deserve
salvation. After studying the first chapter of the Book of Romans, he
finally concluded that salvation came solely from faith in the Grace of
God, Who would not be manipulated by prayer, church rituals, self-
debasement, study, or other works. Before reaching this conclusion, he
went to confession so often during each day that the head of his order,
Staupitz, asked him to become an administrator over several
monasteries, attempting to drag his attention away from himself. Later,
Staupitz asked Luther to teach at the University of Wittenberg; while
there, he preached in the Castle Church of Wittenberg, Germany, where
he guided Duke Frederick away from his attachment to his very large
collection of religious artifacts, inspiring his continued devotion and later
protection.

During his visit to Italy as a monk, Luther witnessed the extent of

corruption and secularism inside and outside of the church; he then
vowed to give himself completely to the task of reforming the church,
taking up Thomas a Kempis’s symbolic cross. At 34, he had nailed his
95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg against the
practice of selling indulgences; each Thesis was a separate complaint
against the church, a complete argument; it was his 95 Theses,
reproduced and distributed throughout Europe, which sparked the
Protestant Movement. In the following years, he had written that the
German princes should demand reform by overthrowing the church in
his Address to German Nobility, had explained his conclusions regarding
faith, versus works, as the only means of salvation, had stressed to
3
Oberman, “Luther,” p. 127.

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 4 of 14 7/23/2009

reinstate the right of participation during communion, and had criticized
the corruption of the popes; because of sharing his opinions so
vehemently and so publicly, he was charged with heresy and
excommunicated. Frederick the Wise saved his life by keeping him
hidden from various rioters who had to satisfy themselves with simply
burning his books; just as he in turn burned the papal bull ordering him
to recant, thereby severing all ties to the Roman Catholic Church. At the
request of Pope Leo X, Charles V invited Luther to the Diet of Worms to
defend himself or recant. Luther’s legendary speech ended with “My
conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not
recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor
sound. God help me. Amen.”4 After losing the vote, he fully expected to
be executed but refused to go against his principles to save himself;
however Frederick the Wise rescued him by having him abducted and
taken to an undisclosed location in the Black Forest. While in hiding,
Luther went incognito as a knight, perhaps as a nod to his father’s
ambitions, and translated the New Testament into German; later he also
translated the Old Testament. His belief for individualism in religion led
people to read their own Bibles; his translation into an easily-understood
colloquial German gifted self-sufficiency to even the most unprivileged of
Germans. “The translation played a major role in shaping the modern
German language [and it carried] the cause of the Reformation into every
house…”5

While Luther was in hiding, two of his followers, Carlstadt and

Melanethen, continued the Protestant Reformation by pulling down
iconic images inside German churches; they were probably more militant
in their actions than his sensibilities would have wished, but when
Frederick the Wise called him out of hiding, hoping that he would regain
control, he chose not to reverse their actions. In fact, considering the
devotion of one’s life to the church as an act of works, he married a
former nun, Katherine von Bora. Their children would be knights,
making him even more deeply-rooted inside of the feudal system; when
offered the old Wittenberg Monastery for his residence, he felt justified in
accepting and lived there for the rest of his life. In the years that
followed his reemergence from the Black Forest, he was highly respected
for his significant role in the Reformation Movement, continuing to fight
for his beliefs until he died. Believing that the world was ending, and
that everything must be done to prepare for the imminent Judgment
Day, he did not see a need for commoners to have political freedom; he
also did not support political equality of the classes because it would
lead to the dissolution of the Feudal System from which he and his
family benefited. But when he disagreed with Thomas Müntzer’s demand
4
Oberman, “Luther,” p. 39.
5
Oberman, “Luther,” p. 305.

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 5 of 14 7/23/2009

for social equality and its resulting peasant revolt, his encouragement for
the aristocrats to retaliate with great force resulted in innumerable
deaths. After seeing these results, he felt such remorse that he wrote a
pamphlet expressing it; it was in deference of this great remorse that
hostilities between the Schmalkaldic League, a league of aristocratic
Lutherans trying to form a German national church, and the reactive
Catholic League, were delayed until after his death. Without this delay,
perhaps the Schmalkaldic War would have lasted longer and have taken
more lives. Before his death, Luther began attacking the German Jewish
population; earlier in life, he had studied Hebrew and was known as a
helpful source to Jews, but now he wanted them driven out of Germany.
He preached that as the Final Judgment grew near, Jews were
condemned to damnation, which would spread to their Christian friends.
These last writings had a definite negative impact as they were later used
by Hitler to justify the genocide of Jews during the Holocaust. Luther’s
Protestant Movement would have a lasting effect on the Christian
religion; his passion in fighting for his beliefs has been an inspiration for
many after him, not just in the religious arena, but in every aspect of life.

Part 2:
Benjamin Franklin

France, England, and Spain continued to develop their nations,

finding solutions to manipulate their businessmen, their aristocrats, and
the flow of money going to the Catholic Church. The businessmen
continued to be controlled with the mercantilist guild system; Ministers
continued to regulate all aspects of business and monopolies were given
to a select few businessmen. Apprenticeships were established; an
Apprentice would be contracted to work under a Master for a set number
of years, being compensated by the training received; once the training
was completed the Apprentice became a Journeyman; although now
compensated with a decent salary, the Journeyman’s goal was to
eventually become a Master himself, training other Apprentices. Their
aristocrats were somewhat kept in order by political marriages,
establishing alliances which secured and expanded their holdings.
Before their national churches were formed, these countries demanded
the right to name their own archbishops and bishops in an effort to stem
the flood of money going into Rome.

The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, gathered the Council of

Trent in an attempt to work out problems between Catholics and
Protestants; at his death his son, Philip II of Spain, used the Council to
reform the Roman Catholic Church, known as the Counter-Reformation.
Allowing individuals to read their Bibles in their native languages was

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 6 of 14 7/23/2009

one of the concessions granted; but these concessions were perhaps
overshadowed by the Inquisition’s use of torture to force Protestants
back to Catholicism; at any rate, the Counter-Reformation came a bit too
late, and provided a bit too little, to win back the hearts of most
Protestants, although large numbers did decide to reconvert voluntarily.
John Calvin, a French lawyer, started an early Luther movement in his
country, although he amended some of Luther’s original ideas in The
Institutes of Christian Religion. Deciding that it was not yet time for the
Final Judgment, he wanted to flesh out Luther’s idea of an invisible
Community of Saints, to establish an observable society of devout
citizens; believing that landowners were preordained leaders of their
communities and titling them as enlightened ones, or Presbyters, Calvin
endeavored to create a theocratic Republic. Calvinism, or
Presbyterianism, spread among the upper-middleclass landowners of
Europe; although outwardly prompted with religious conviction, they
might have been somewhat influenced by the political empowerment
bestowed by this faith.

Calvinist Revolutions tore through Europe. The Netherlands,

disappointed when turning to Luther in a quest for political freedom,
were relieved to find the political-religious influence they needed in
Calvinism; the Duke of Alma, sent by Philip II to revert them back to
Catholicism, murdered numerous Calvinists. The Presbyterian William
of Orange, or William the Silent, confronted Philip II, proposing the
Pacification of Ghent in an attempt to end hostilities; as a result of the
Pacification, the majority of Presbyterians moved to the northern 7
Provinces and the majority of Catholics moved to the southern 10
Provinces. The subsequent civil war that waged between them resulted
with the victorious Northern Presbyterian Provinces setting up an
independent theocratic Republic.

Calvinist communities had spread throughout rural France;

refusing to pay taxes, they fortified themselves and challenged their King,
Francis I. His widow, Catherine Medici, ruled as Queen Mother as her
sons Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III had consecutive reigns;
politically and religiously opposed to the French Calvinists, known as
Huguenots, she began an enthusiastic campaign to force them out of
France. When Charles IX forbid the murder of his sister, Margot, and
their Presbyterian cousin, Henry of Navarre, on their wedding day,
Catherine deigned to murder the entire wedding party instead, triggering
the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, a 2-week event where countless
Huguenots were murdered. Since her son’s had no heirs, Henry of
Navarre became Henry IV of France, but only after fighting his way to
Paris and reverting back to Catholicism. Henry IV passed the Edict of
Nantes, declaring tolerance for Huguenots, but after his death his widow,

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 7 of 14 7/23/2009

Marie d’ Medici, followed Catherine’s example and continued driving the
Huguenots out of France.

In order to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn, Henry Tudor,
or Henry VIII of England, decided to separate from the Pope and
establish a national Anglican Church, executing his First Minister,
Thomas Moore, when he openly opposed this separation. In her zeal to
reconvert England, the devoutly Catholic Mary I, his eldest daughter,
ruthlessly persecuted Protestants by voided the religious actions of her
brother, Edward VI of England, and reinstating the old laws against
heresy and using those laws to execute more than 300 Protestants,
earning her the nickname, Bloody Mary.6 Her sister, Elizabeth I of
England, overturned her rulings and strengthened Protestantism in the
Anglican Church; considered the Golden Age of England her reign “was a
time of great achievement and prosperity.”7 Her cousin, James Stuart,
formally James VI of Scotland now James I of England, wrote True Law
of Free Monarchy in response to the Scottish demands for a Parliament;
using analogies from nature, he argued that in natural law God intended
aristocrats to have absolute power; he continued to shift the Anglican
Church from Catholicism to Protestantism, eventually writing the King
James Bible. James I attempted to peacefully rid his country of the
Calvinist Puritans by giving them land in Ireland to settle and also
encouraging them to form Presbyterian colonies in the New World;
similar to Charlemagne’s Personality Principle, they could form their own
self-governing Republics as long as they continued to acknowledge the
English Monarchy.

An English Civil War broke out against James I’s son, Charles I of
England; essentially a mild variation of the Religious Wars, with the
Presbyterian Oliver Cromwell leading the Protestants. At the meeting in
Putney Field, he tried to determine what type of government should
replace Charles I; Cromwell wished for a Republic, the Levelers wished
for Democracy, and the Diggers wished for Communism. At first,
Cromwell established a Republic government, but quickly switched to a
Democratic government, following the wishes of the majority; John
Milton’s Paradise Lost praised Cromwell for his tolerance for all religions.
His son, Richard Cromwell, was overthrown and the English Monarchy
was reinstated under Charles II; during the ensuing English Restoration
Period, Charles II tried to follow the example of his grandfather while

6
Lindbuchler, Ryan. “Queen "Bloody" Mary I,” Original Posting:
November 16, 1998. Last Revision: July 3, 2003. URL:
http://www.kings.edu/womens_history/marytudor.html
7
Chew. “Elizabeth I,” September 1995. URL:
http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/95sep/elizabeth.html

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 8 of 14 7/23/2009

avoiding the mistakes of his father while also continuing Cromwell’s idea
of religious toleration, in effect separating the church and state.

Republicanism and Capitalism, long-established in Italy for

political/economical reasons, began to emerge throughout Europe for
religious reasons; Capitalism having been a part of the Germanies which
never developed the Mercantilist Guild System; and Republicanism
having been created in the Netherlands. Around a hundred years of
religious rivalry had waged between Catholic and Protestant factions,
resulting in the before-mentioned Schmalkaldic War and in the following
30-Years War, with each side vying for political power; during these wars,
Calvinists also fought to secure their autonomous communities inside of
predominantly Catholic and Protestant nations. After witnessing the
consequential overwhelmingly high percentage of fatalities caused by
such warfare, a gradual collective shift occurred as populations became
more tolerant of other religious ideas. Weary of the zealous destruction
which had spread throughout Europe, a secular movement away from
government-controlled religion was more than welcomed by most;
instigated by Louis XIII of France and later by Charles II of England, the
separation of church and state being a logical solution; religion became
viewed as a personal choice. Calvin had considered that Natural Law
was the way to understand God’s Intention for human existence;
scientists began studying Natural Law for this reason. The leading belief
continued to hold God as the First Cause of everything; but now people
sought to discover the Proximate Cause, looking in Natural Law. As the
world changed towards secularization, people turned to science to
replace religious thinking.

William of Orange and Mary Stuart, or Mary II, and then her sister
Anne, had consecutive reigns over England; their reigns produced a
burgeoning capitalism, developing a stock market and more lenient bank
loans; great writers and thinkers flourished, such as Jonathon Swift.
Novels were written, such as Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Moll
Flanders which praised independence and economic success; based on
the results of the Great London Fire, his An Essay on Projects exemplified
the Projector, or entrepreneur, twisting Biblical quotations as a means of
justifying his argument; for example, the Tower of Babel was
misrepresented as being a ‘great product’. Based on the belief that “any
theocracy is intolerant”8, William and Mary II demanded that the
Presbyterian Colonies allow people of all religions, except Jews, to
become English citizens; sending armies to enforce this, one even set up
in a Presbyterian Church. Forced to comply, the Presbyterian Colonials
no longer felt secure in their autonomy, and as a result, lost themselves
in a short-lived hysterical Witch Hunt.

8
Blum, Mark E. Lecture Notes from February 16, 2004

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 9 of 14 7/23/2009

 It was difficult for the Monarchy to oversee these distant colonies,
so local models of English governments were set up. England controlled
these colonies both economically and politically, holding them together
under a strict Mercantilist Economy; English economic strength and
wealth swelled with the increase of their colonies with their tremendous
potential for the growth of commerce and natural resources. Since
money was required to enter into the Guild System, this system did not
provide opportunities for the poor; as the population grew back to its
pre-war numbers more commoners were left with the options of either
having to rely on social welfare or breaking the Guild Laws. The age of
science inspired the idea of equality, which fed political dissent and its
resulting American Revolutionary War; this idea of equality also resulted
in furthering the spread of Capitalism, with the growing resentment
towards the monopolies in the Mercantilist Guild System. After the
Great London Fire destroyed over half of London, Charles II loosened the
Guild Rules in order to quickly build back London, allowing Capitalism
and Mercantilism to coincide harmoniously; but if any changes were
done in the colonies, these Guild Rules were actually tightened.

Benjamin’s family name Franklin means ‘Freeholder’, placing them

as formerly-freed serf landowners. During Mary I’s reign, the Protestant
family continued to read their English Bible in secret, a great risk in that
time of persecution. Franklin’s paternal ancestors remained with the
Episcopal Church until his father, Samuel, and his uncle, his namesake,
branched off; Samuel moved his family to New England seeking religious-
freedom and financial growth. Franklin’s maternal grandfather, Peter
Folgier, was arrested in Nantucket for voicing his objections of
Presbyterian intolerance; his ideas of “tolerance officially became
Massachusetts Bay colony’s law, but in practice Presbyterians under
Cotton Mather continue to control political power.”9 He was Franklin’s
model of tolerance and rebellion for the sake of beliefs. Franklin’s father
was not Presbyterian; he traveled to New England to join them but was
ignored for 10 years until he eventually got the soap monopoly from the
King of England; Max Wieber’s Protestantism and the Spirit of Capitalism
discussed this very concept. Franklin’s brother is a Printer; at that time,
print heads were only made in England, it was against the law for anyone
in the Colonies to make them.

While looking for the Proximate Cause from nature, Franklin

became interested in electricity. He spent much of his free-time learning
from Scientific and Mathematic books, having received only two years of
formal schooling. His scientific thinking, based firmly inside of Natural
Law, led him to believe in total equality. As for his faith, he chose Deism,
9
Blum, Mark E. “Class Guide,” p. 15.

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 10 of 14 7/23/2009

believing in the existence of a God but denying revealed religion, basing
his belief on nature and reason; his tolerance of all religions led to his
agreement with the separation of church and state. He believed in the
good of Citizenship over Presbyterianism, wishing for all people to come
together as common citizens and not separate themselves by their
religions. Valuing the Model of English Government existing in the
Colonies, he appreciated the many freedoms granted from such laws as
Magna Carte and Habeas Corpus.

Franklin was self-sufficient and headstrong, even breaking Guild

Laws to leave his brother’s apprenticeship; he was an adventurer who
was not afraid of risks. He had confidence in his own opinions, often
writing anonymous pieces in his brother’s paper against the Presbyterian
governmental leaders while using a woman’s penname, Silence Dogood.
Having a positive attitude, he was a very sociable person who easily
made life-long friends; following Shaftsbury’s advice, he tried to always
be agreeable with others to avoid unnecessary conflict. The human body
had became a thing of beauty resulting in the first diet books, such as
Thomas Tryon’s book stressing water over beer and vegetables over meat;
Franklin followed his advice, finding that a vegetable and fish diet kept
his mind clear. He was an avid reader, using his knowledge to approach
prominent individuals by carrying interesting books or colonial
inventions to prompt discussions. He was also a prolific writer; following
his father’s advice, he invented writing exercises to improve his language
skills and vocabulary. He was not only very diligent in his work ethic but
also very thrifty, living simply and avoiding anything ostentatious; he
made a point to always pay his debts. He was very honest in admitting
his faults; when he was 24 years old, he gathered 13 Values to develop,
striving for moral perfection. He was honest in all aspects of his life,
even admitting his guilt in the Hutchinson Letters Affair; he would rather
lose his standing with the English government than see three innocent
men condemned.10

Franklin was the greatest scientist that ever lived; his many
inventions include bifocals, the lightening rod, the odometer, and a
furnace stove, called the Franklin stove. He founded the first fire
department (the Union Fire Company), and was responsible for setting
up America’s first fire insurance company. As a citizen of Philadelphia,
he was responsible for the establishment of America’s first subscription
library (Library Company of Philadelphia), the Pennsylvania Hospital, the
American Philosophical Society, and Philadelphia Academy (now the
University of Pennsylvania); he not only set up the Pennsylvania militia,
but he also took his turn as one of its volunteer soldiers. Many of his
discoveries were made by studying nature; for example, during his
10
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/timeline/hutchin.html

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 11 of 14 7/23/2009

various trips between America and Europe, “he was able to measure
different temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and chart the [Gulf] Stream
in detail.”11 Being largely responsible for the union of the colonies, he
also improved the Declaration of Independence at Thomas Jefferson’s
request, such as adding the words self-evident to the sentence: We hold
these truths to be self-evident. He is famous for his contributions to the
Declaration and for helping to end the Revolutionary war between the
American colonies and England by negotiating the treaty with Paris; he
also signed the Constitution of the United States. His innovative ideas
were widely spread and accepted; an example of his creativity would be
when he began the first thoughts that Time is Money, stressing
productivity over idleness. “While in Paris, Franklin was the first to
propose the idea of Daylight Savings Time; by increasing the available
amount of daylight during the summer and decreasing it during the
winter season, Franklin hoped to provide the world with a greater
opportunity of doing productive work during the summer months, as
opposed to the cold and dreary days of winter.”12 He was an undeniably
great man whose many contributions continue to impact present-day life.

11
Yamnitz. “Inventions,” URL:
http://www.fidnet.com/~yamnitz1/franklin/inventions.html
12
Yamnitz. “Inventions,” URL:
http://www.fidnet.com/~yamnitz1/franklin/inventions.html

Melinda S. Wrocklage Page 12 of 14 7/23/2009

Bibliography

Blum, Mark E. History of Civilizations II: Class Guide. Louisville, 2004.

Blum, Mark E. History of Civilizations II: Class Lectures. Louisville, 2004.

Calvin College. Chimes. 2002 – 2003. URL: http://www-

stu.calvin.edu/chimes/

Chew, Robin. Lucidcafé. Revised: February 19, 2004. URL:

http://www.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe.html

Hooker, Richard. Washington State University: World Civilizations: An

Internet Classroom and Anthrology. 1996.
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/WORLD.HTM

Oberman, Heiko A. Luther: Man Between God and the Devil. Translated by
Walliser-Schwarzbart, Eileen; New York, 1989.

Pavlac, Brian A. Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Resource Site. Last

Revision: February 18, 2004. URL:
http://www.kings.edu/womens_history/index.html.

Yamnitz, Brad. Benjamin Franklin. Last Updated: December 8, 2001.

URL: http://www.fidnet.com/~yamnitz1/franklin/index.html
The Professor’s Grade and Notes:

A+ 100

You get the laurel. One of the best History 102 papers I have ever read.
Everything is there, and your organization could make this publishable as a
sketch of men and times.

Bravo!