Synonyms
Being a Self-Made Man
Whether described as a “great man” or a “man of genius,” the self-made man represents the archetype of successful men – and more and more women – who start from low stations in life, with poor educational backgrounds, and climb the social ladder to become key figures in society.
Origins of the Myth: The Roots of the “American Dream”
Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave and a leader of the abolitionist movement, provided the first definition of the “self-made man” in a lecture in 1859 (Douglass 1955). This new man, based on the Roman idea of “novus homo,” played a prevalent role in public life. Preceding Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, was one of the best-known examples of a self-made man. His autobiography described his rise from working-class origins to his life as a powerful inventor, businessman, and politician (Franklin 1793). Abraham Lincoln also captured the public imagination,...
References
Douglass F. My bondage and my freedom: part I- life as a slave, part II – life as a freeman. New York: Miller, Orton & Mulligan; 1955.
Franklin B. The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. London: Parson; 1793.
Granovetter M. Economic action and social structure – the problem of embeddedness. Am J Sociol. 1985;91(3):481–510.
Wyllie IG. The self-made man in America: the myth of rags to riches. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press; 1954. p. 210.
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Leducq, D. (2017). Self-Made Man. In: Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6616-1_229-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6616-1_229-2
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