If you are interested in astronomy (and really, who isn't in Flagstaff, you better read this chapter closely!).
Growing up in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, the name "Rittenhouse" was very prominent. However, Boorstin, I believe gives Rittenhouse his due.
25 comments:
Rittenhouse was made a "typical"colonial American because he created his legacy off of no formal training. As much of the great men before him Boorstin compared him to Ben Franklin. The idea of being tied to Franklin is the ultimate American ideal that even though you held no formal training you could achieve great things. This brings in the quote from Abbe Raynal which tells of America not producing anyone of higher intellect, and of the statement on how there is no one if pure intelligence in America, however as shown in the story of Rittenhouse there is a number of great intellectual people in America who are proven more skilled of those with formal training. This sets the standard for America producing unformal learned perfect ideal.
Rittenhouse’s work in astronomy contributed both scientifically and politically to America. Firstly, he used astronomy as a means of conducting land surveying. He contributed to the surveying of exact borders between half of the thirteen original colonies, including the New York Massachusetts border. In addition, he used the transit of Venus in 1768, which could be viewed throughout the Colonies, to calculate the distance of the Earth from the sun. His most prominent work was the development of one of the most accurate Orreries of its time. All of his accomplishments showed the scientific abilities of America, and perpetuated Jefferson’s argument against European critics of America’s scientific prowess. He is a “typical” colonial American, I think because he was self taught, basing his ideas on mathematics, rather than books and prior research. He even calculated the distance of each planet himself for use in the Orrery, rather than using a number from a book. His self-made experience is what I think defines a true colonial American.
1. David Rittenhouse was truly remarkable because he was self-taught. In science, this was almost unheard of, and never happened in England, where ritual classroom learning had become commonplace. He was a great man that stood out from the rest of American society, because he had been a Treasurer of State and the director of the United States Mint. In this way, he certainly wasn't "typical". It was partially the fame of his past jobs that gave him a large audience and public following. The way in which he was a "typical" colonial citizen was that he oberved things in a real-life setting, and it was experience rather than knowledge that gave him the answers he asked for. The passing of Venus is one great example. He made known this event to the public, and this is another American way of living. Because of his unselfish motives, he allowed everyone to see Venus and learn by doing instead of a select few.
Rittenhouse is a "typical" colonial American because of his not having been taught by another how to be an astronomer; rather, he taught himself and happened to be very successful in doing so. He did all of his own work and calculations of orbits of planets and such, plus he was extrmely accurate, proving that an individual could prosper and be a success without having another with more experience lead them to discover their own potential. Many paid attention to him because of his past possitions, such as being the director of the mint in the colonies. Despite being already popular with the people, he showed that a person could be very prosperous just by teaching themselves a new craft and being good at it.
David Rittenhouse is a “typical” colonial American because he was self-taught. Many people in America had little or no education and learned from observation. In astronomy, he was both successful and accurate. His work was considered genius, and he created it off of no training or education. Jefferson even went as far as to compare him to Benjamin Franklin. “In physics, we have produced a Franklin, than whom no one of the present age has made more important discoveries, nor has enriched philosophy with more, or more ingenious solutions of phaenomena of nature. We have supposed Mr. Rittenhouse second to no astronomer living: that in genius be must be the first, because he is self-taught.” (pg 244).
1. Rittenhouse was a typical colonial American because he was self taught like the physicians and the lawyers in earlier chapters. Rittenhouse also was a typical colonist because in the beginning he did not have a differentiated skill. He worked on clocks. He was engineer. He was a treasurer in his state. He was the director for the U.S. mint. He, like many others worked in a variety of disciplines.
2. Boorstin believes that claiming Rittenhouse as a Great American Astronomer shows how little progress they had made in astronomy. Rittenhouse did not accomplish as much as his contemporaries or his counterparts in the rest of the world, and so calling him a great astronomer is really a lie.
Rittenhouse was a brilliant man. He was a clockmaker, surveyor, astronomer, and mathematician. He was also the son of a farmer. This meant that Rittenhouse had no formal training. What made Rittenhouse a typical colonial American was, like most Americans, he was self-taught. Rittenhouse made many contributions to astronomy. He also helped define the Mason-Dixie line, as a surveyor, as well as half of the "state" lines of the original 13 colonies. Rittenhouse also became the first Director of the U.S. Mint. Rittenhouse did many things over his lifetime and was on of the geniuses of Colonial America.
David Rittenhouse embodies the “typical” colonial American mostly because he did not have much formal training, like the average colonist, and instead was self-taught. He was also an example of an “undifferentiated” man because he was active in so many different fields: engineering, manufacturing, politics, and science. He was also a typical American because he put science to practical use, such as in his use of latitude and longitude lines in surveying the colonial borders and in his creation of the most accurate and detailed Orrery of the time in order to show the average person the layout of the solar system. One of his achievements, calculating the distance from the Earth to the Sun, was in a way unusual for the colonies because it was an advancement in theoretical scientific knowledge. Even this, however, came about mostly through luck, seeing as Rittenhouse himself had not witnessed the Venus transit which the calculation was based on, and instead relied on amateur recordings. Rittenhouse can not accurately be compared with Newton because his forte was not the theoretical science of Europe, but rather the applied sciences of America, in which there is no doubt that he accomplished a great deal, especially when considering he was self-taught.
Rittenhouse is a "typical" colonial American because he taught himself through experementation and observation while not being formally trained in astrology. He was accurate and made a device to predict the movement of the heavens within 5000 years, foward or back. He proved that Americans could achieve greatness even without formal training.
~Chris Sogge~
David Rittenhouse embodied the spirit and raw intelligence of the American scientist. Thomas Jefferson, a great admirer of Rittenhouse said, “We have supposed Mr. Rittenhouse second to no astronomer living: that in genius he must be the first, because he is self-taught.” Similar to American lawyers, Rittenhouse possessed no formal education and in fact held contempt for formal learning claiming, “Neither has he made use of any number he found in books, for one single wheel, but was at the pains of getting them by calculation himself…” Additionally, Rittenhouse, as was a mutual characteristic for most working men in America, was a Jack of many trades, engineering ways of manufacturing cannons and ammunition in addition to being the first Treasurer of his State and the primary director of the US Mint. Another quality Rittenhouse possessed was the luck of simply living in America. By living in this New and untainted World, Rittenhouse was afforded the opportunities of discovering astronomical data unmarred by European theory, such as the calculation of the distance of the Sun from Earth. Rittenhouse’s final exemplification of being a “typical” colonial American resides in his emphasis on practicality. He used his surveying work to make a living and saw “astronomy as a surveyor’s tool.” Also, Rittenhouse’s detailed reworking of the “Orrery” was intended to teach the public about astronomy as it might be useful to them in other ways.
Mr. Rittenhouse was considered as a "typical" colonial American because he was "self-taught" and had no official training. Rittenhouse had a significant impact on the community both scientifically and politically. One of his many accomplishments was he discovered the passing of Venus, and used this to determine the distance between the earth and the sun. He proved this by using mathematics instead of using previous research or other sources. Then he was taught this to his fellow Americans who accepted him as a scientist. Other amazing accomplishments include using astronomy for surveying the land. In doing so he was able to produce borders between the colonies as well as the Mason-Dixie line. Rittenhouse was the first director for the U.S. Mint.
Rittenhouse was a "typical" colonial American because like so many he wasn't formally educated and didn't understand the specifics of what he was doing. It was all the more remarkable, then, when he produced the intricate orrery and telescope. His calculations surrounding Venus were mere luck that the eyeballed number came out so close, but then many typical American colonists also just got lucky. Like other American colonists, he also figured out more things by observation than through specific scientific knowledge
Rittenhouse is a typical colonial American because went from nothing to something. He had no formal training in astrology, yet he didnt let that hold him back. Just like so many other important early american figures, Rittenhouse was able to make huge leaps in his field despite his lack of education. He created a very advanced orrery for his time and also helped scope out Venuses movements.
It appears that Rittenhouse became apart of the astronomical community much like other Americans developed their professions: self teaching and observation. Also important however, is that Rittenhouse had connections; he was friends with Thomas Jefferson, which may have also attributed much to his education. Aside from that, Rittenhouse was a “Typical American” because he had the classic story. He came from an average craftsmen position and through hard work and a little bit of luck, he became famous. Boorstin must love these stories, because we sure have been hearing a lot of them up to this point in the book.
1. The quality that David Rittenhouse had that made him a rather “typical” colonial American was his variety in what he did. First off he was basically completely self-taught and he started out as a clock/instrument-maker. He then later went on to be an engineer to a committee of safety, manufactured cannons and ammunitions, took part in the convention for Pennsylvania’s first constitution, and helped Jefferson with the “coinage” of the New World. However, a more interesting accomplishment of his was his use of longitude and latitude to do mass surveying of the boundaries between thirteen of the original colonies and his creation of his Orrery. What sounds like quite a complex set up of the positions of the planets and their orbits, Rittenhouse’s creation of something that could predict the position of the planets for over 5,000 years is amazing to me, especially since it added to increase interest in astronomy in education and as a field of study.
Chapter 38
David Rittenhouse was very surprising because I had never heard of him. He was typical because he was self-taught. He began as a clock and instrument maker and also an engineer, manufacturer, and fighter. He was an honest and hard worker and was extremely smart. The surprising part was that with no formal training, Rittenhouse was compared and related closely to Benjamin Franklin.
Taylor Oster 2009
David Rittenhouse was an example of the quintessential American colonist because first, he was self-taught, and second, he didn't start where he ended. Having no formal education and starting as a "clock- and instrument-maker", an artisan trade, he became the Great American Astronomer, risking his health and life for some of his experiments. He was the "American ideal of the undifferentiated man".
I believe Rittenhouse to be what one might consider a “typical” colonial American due to the fact that he had no formal training. Like many famous Americans of the age, and many people who followed career paths which would require great effort and training today, Rittenhouse was self taught.
David Rittenhouse can be considered a "typical" colonial American primarily because he made all of his discoveries and did all of his work without any formal training from a university or similar place of higher learning.
Rittenhouse can be said to be a “typical” colonial American because he was self-made. He did not learn astronomy or mathematics from any higher institution of learning, as was the custom in England, but instead taught himself. He also brought education to the public, as many other colonial innovators had, by his Orrery, which he also happened to build himself. It is rather odd that he fainted right at the crucial moment of transit, as Venus touched the sun ... I wonder why this was ... the stress? The intense light of the sun to the unprotected eye?
Rittenhouse: He was a typical colonial american because he started out as a working class man, begenning as a clock and instrument maker. He then worked himself up in the ladder, being part of Pennsylvania's first constituition, became presedint of the American philosophical society, and became a great astronomer. He was also the "leading surveyor" of his day.
Any comments on David Rittenhouse? What qualities make Rittenhouse a "typical" colonial American?
Rittenhouse conformed to the mold of a typical American colonist because of his lack of higher education. He made advances and rose to a position of considerable recognition while still coming from a simple craftsman’s background.
I think that Rittenhouse started out as a typical colonial American, but he worked his way up the social class. Till he was a person whos man stood out among others. This happened because of his study in Astronomy.
Any comments on David Rittenhouse? What qualities make Rittenhouse a "typical" colonial American?
Well you could say he was typical because he was self-taught and he received no "formal" training. His work contributed greatly to Astronomy, so Boorstin saw him as Franklin's equal.
Any comments on David Rittenhouse? What qualities make Rittenhouse a "typical" colonial American?
Rittenhouse can be considered a "typical" colonial American because he had very little formal training. He was a self-taught clock maker, astronomer, and engineer. He also spent a lot of time working for the community (for example, he worked as an engineer for the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety), which was very typical of colonial men.
Mira Schlosberg
Post a Comment