Introduction
What relationship can exist between the thoughts of Benjamin Franklin and the current American political landscape, particularly Donald Trump's immigration policies? It is our intention to engage Franklin, who is also the first diplomat to the United States, alongside the immigrant aspects of Trump's immigration policy considerations. In the juncture of these two individuals, there is a duration of more than two centuries. Franklin was himself an immigrant to the United States, and almost four decades before the creation of the first government, his thoughts have transcended the stretch of 21st-century governance and immigration policies. The pros and cons of Franklin and his thorough thoughts under 21st-century lighting will be simultaneously treasured in the upcoming section.
In order to be acquainted with political management in a system, one must inspect or observe the declared thoughts and atmosphere of its theorist. In this regard, Franklin is labeled preeminently as an American political thinker, and much of his thoughts and discussions have been used to enlighten the understanding of the American system of government, society, and thought. In the brilliant transition of Franklin from England to America, he sturdily pronounced the American dialect. His thoughts are highlighted here based on the complements of cohorts and abrogations, and he is also associated with the foundation of the two-party system. Interestingly, when Franklin’s thoughts are correlated to the contemporary immigration policy drives of Donald Trump, the plethora of reactions has run to the opposing end of emotions. The reactions have put Franklin’s thoughts or ideas into question in the major part of the public in the realm of scholarly and propositional extensions.
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Benjamin Franklin's Political Philosophy
Benjamin Franklin’s pragmatic approach to governance and management focuses on individuals’ everyday policies to enhance public life or systems without philosophical thoughts reflecting on his people’s political ideology. Franklin believed in reason and individual reform and felt that an individual who acts upon these precepts naturally will have a significant effect on politics. He thinks there are no immoral or honest individuals; there are only benefactors and harmful persons. Consequently, his political pages are connected with social reform topics and democratic ideology, but he is relatively blind to the integrity of political subjects.
1. Reason & Self-Reform Franklin advanced self-reliance, virtuous diligence, and rectitude in his daily endeavors. He held that people had an inalienable right to pursue their ambitions with vigilance and effort, enshrouding such language with the notion of human freedom. He thus contended that there could be no excuse for idleness or misery: being exceptional, the individual carries the means to elevate his or her life above such futile conditions.
2. Self-Interest & Sacrifice Franklin also exhorted his readers to erode self-interest and to grapple with self-sacrifice as necessary for personal welfare. Although Franklin discusses friendship as morally efficacious, he does so in the context of his own life—in order to attain the benefit of friendship and community, the individual must partake in sacrifice, cultivate an enduring relationship, and elevate his own life. Franklin articulated the unconscious ethical foundation for democratic ideology.
In his assertion that much that is done in the world is undertaken from the simplest reason from self-interest, Franklin elucidates the meager self-interest of the community man; drawing on the enlightened character, the individual works according to his own self-interest but also to the public good. He demonstrates an implicit argument for the political ideology of a militaristic patriotism that would become a highly definitive element of the republic for future generations. Franklin implored the disenfranchised to voluntarily tax themselves lest they fall into the neglected scenarios of their family members. Drawing on the age-old Greek dictum of nothing too much, it was Franklin, while espousing lofty ideals of the golden mean, who was both the most keenly aware and the most sage and utilitarian. Franklin thus sought the effective and imaginative accommodation of the outsider within the polity. Exclusive ideological practices, forms of government, or philosophies purported to be advantageous make equality and fairness towards all groups in society problematic. Franklin’s democratic philosophy emphasized inclusion and agreed with democratic principles by analyzing how a loyal minority will gain more rights and acceptability within a society, preventing conflict. Franklin’s evaluation was also compatible with a utopian-based deontological theory that aspired to impartiality in the circumvention of human suffering and the oppression of others. Moreover, Franklin’s solution to diversity was an age-old method of fostering equality in republican societies. Franklin’s ideas were important in the long run, especially in the political debates that were directed to Asia, Africa, and South America on the pueblo, such as the Haitian and Cuban affairs, the United States Committee from 1801 to 1806, and the United States Committee from 1947 to 1949. His ideas for combining different groups and creeds into a fashionable jingoistic philosophy have withstood the test of time.
Donald Trump's Immigration Policies
U.S. President Donald Trump remained a contentious figure in domestic and international media throughout his presidency, primarily due to his stances on immigration. Trump’s approach to immigration policy was a significant departure from his predecessor’s, strategically limiting legal and illegal immigration into the United States over the course of his administration. In 2019, nearly 611,000 individuals gained lawful permanent resident status in the United States, the largest group of which were from China. Though a significant number, this group was only provided 11.6% of lawful permanent resident status. Family reunification status, rather than employment-based categories, remained the largest reason for a grant of admission during 2019. Immigration trends over the years indicate that under Donald Trump, significantly fewer foreign nationals were legally immigrating to the United States.
In 2017, President Trump issued three executive orders pertaining to the regulation of immigration, announcing new procedures to enforce immigration responsibilities using “prosecutorial discretion” and addressing the revocation of “sanctuary” healthcare funds. Visa appointments conducted at foreign consulates became much more frequent under the Trump administration, each year held at a greater fee. The Bureau of Consular Affairs boasted posting a new record in 2019, turning away 12.2 million immigrant visa applicants, 12% more than in 2017. In a significant move, then-President Donald Trump signed a Proclamation on April 22, 2020, temporarily suspending the entry of immigrant visas for foreign nationals seeking to “lawfully” move inside the United States. Each of these were Democrat-led “sanctuary” hotspots, and though Trump’s Proclamation was criticized by the media and human rights groups as an executive-first measure, the freedoms of at least five prior administrations secured by federal law were severely impacted at the separation of immigrant families.
Comparison and Analysis
Though Franklin’s political philosophy and Trump’s immigration policies are distant in time, it is still worth considering a comparison of the two because Franklin may help us in determining reasonable principles essential for ensuring good governance. Based upon these principles, we can draw some conclusions concerning the probable problems and solutions of the Trump policies in relation to immigration. Generally, it is desirable to have governing skills such as the ability to feel the mood and understand the necessity of the citizens to be a community and protect it. In philosophy, the Trump policies may serve as a negative example – a case illustrating undesirable principles, values, and understanding of human nature and society. In Franklin’s political philosophy, the emphasis is placed on reason, dialogue, willingness to agree and disagree with others, and treating fellow citizens as equals. The norms and principles are derived from people’s virtuous characteristics such as rationality, sympathy, morality, sociability, and social responsibility based on love of humanity and freedom for everyone. Trump, instead, tends to make his political decisions not grounded in the belief in the importance of obeying possible strengths of arguments. He prefers to obey personal instincts and passions, to believe in the necessity of emotional moods, such as fear and anger viewed as predictors of what is right, to cultivate anger and hatred, and to adhere to the principle of exclusion. While Trump and Franklin’s immigration policies are distant in time, one could find basic tendencies and general principles to combat problematic situations. The former is based on legal and procedural norms which are partially, if not totally, connected with some personal views and principles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is crucial to understand how current issues can be illuminated by historical political thought. In many ways, Franklin and Trump represent a striking contrast with one another. While Franklin argued that our most basic democratic principles articulate a commitment to a common humanity, Trump's public policies put that commitment into question. Instead of setting high standards for admission into the nation, Franklin sought to include most of the world as potential citizens. In contrast, we use administrative restrictions to control who can access the nation without having to have the morally and legally questionable overt exclusivity that Trump prefers. In our status as a settler state, administrative restrictions on immigration explicitly turn those who are excluded from entering the nation into an 'illegal' other to whom we have no social, legal, or moral responsibilities. And with his nationalist populism, Trump seems to be using anti-immigrant policies in order to shore up that illegality.
In summary, in this essay, I compared Benjamin Franklin's political philosophy of a generous, inclusive nation that is defined by basic democratic principles with some of President Donald Trump's publicly announced policies that seek to exclude people in the name of national interest. While, as political theory, the goal is to shed light on historical ideas, it is perhaps not too surprising that this historical discussion seems particularly relevant here and now. The results of this comparison show how aspects of American values that we think are foundational have been turned into a discussion that may well be an indication that our current political climate would benefit from a return to moral and basic democratic principles that were new for Franklin but that we, at our best, have since taken for granted. Furthermore, this essay has brought a new standpoint to social contract theory grounded in a realistic context for political unity and relates it to current events. In this respect, the essay is a contribution to political philosophy and immigration policy and demonstrates that these debates are not elitist but represent a conversation that encompasses the everyday lives of people in the United States and around the world.
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