Benjamin Franklin

Impact on American History

Founding Father

• Writer

• Printer

• Politician

• Scientist

• Inventor

• Statesman

• Diplomat

The Paradox of Franklin

Owned slavesRailed against Germans in PANot a feministSupported the militaryRejected Christianity

Socialistic views Fathered an illegitimate child

Held Americans in low regard

The Man of Many Faces

Prior to the Revolution, Franklin was already world famous:

Member of the prestigious Royal Society

Honorary degrees from St. Andrews and Oxford

A world leader in science and philosophy

The Man of Many Voices

Pseudonyms:

Silence Dogood, Alice Addertongue, Cecilia Shortface, Polly Baker, Busy Body, Obadiah Plainman, Anthony Afterwit, Richard Saunders, Poor Richard, An American, A New-England Man, A Briton, A London Manufacturer

While in London, used 42 different signatures

Apprenticeship and Printer

Hierarchical New EnglandTwo years of formal educationCandle and soap makerApprenticed to his brother James, printer1721, New England Courant, James’newspaperIn 1722, at 16, Franklin secretly submitted

satires, signed by Silence Dogood

Leaving Boston

• James’ paper was shut down

• Franklin found apprenticeship intolerable

• Franklin had become– “a little obnoxious to the governing Party”

He was viewed as an “Infidel or Atheist”

In 1723, left Boston for Philadelphia

Young Franklin and Social Mobility• Patronage was the accepted way of

achieving upward social mobility

• Not uncommon for men of humble birth to rise to prominence

• Franklin’s talents were soon recognized by the governors of PA and NY

• Even Cotton Mather expressed an interest

The Great Social Divide

• Gentlemen and Commoners

• Gentlemen were born wealthy

• Gentlemen did not work

• Puritan hard work ethic were meant for commoners

A Gentleman

• By 18th century standards, Gentlemen did not labor or toil with their hands

• They inherited wealth

• Income was generated through rents, or interest on money

• They were free to pursue interests or leisure

• This is what Franklin aspired to…

Changing Times

• By the middle of the 18th century a new economic class was emerging– This group was neither born into wealth nor

commoners– They were the known as “middling” men– Included: commercial farmers, artisans,

merchants, traders, shopkeepers, etc– They were becoming wealthy and saw

themselves as better then commoners

Middling Men

• Franklin epitomized this new man– Wealthy and Industrious– Interested in learning – Interested in giving back to society– Franklin organized local artisans who met to

discuss common issues

Franklin’s Dilemma

By the 1730s Franklin was:

Successful

Wealthy

Civic Minded

But not a Gentleman

Feared being ridiculed as a

…Molatto Gentleman…

Franklin the Entrepreneur

• Monopolized printing in Philadelphia

• Franchised print shops from New England to Antigua

• Was postmaster general

• Rented houses

• Owned paper mills

• Creditor

Retirement at 42

• By 1748 Franklin had acquired enough wealth to retire

• Purchased several slaves

• Moved to a quieter part of town

• Franklin attributed his success to – Industry and Frugality

Franklin’s Experiments• Time to read, write, and experiment…

…with electricity

Proved that lightning was electricity

Published Experiments and Observations on Electricity in 1752

Made him an international figure

Fame and Recognition

• Degrees from Yale, Harvard, and William and Mary

• Praised internationally for the invention of the lightning rod

Public Service

• More important to Franklin than his scientific achievements

• Member of Philadelphia City Council

• Justice of the Peace

• Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly

The Constitutional ConventionRepresented PennsylvaniaDid not know most of the delegatesDid not make any great speechesSeemed detached for most of the

proceedings… and did not agree with much of the final draft…but signed it anyway

Franklin and SlaveryFranklin’s thoughts on African Americans

evolved over timeBy the early 1780s Franklin had become a

leading abolitionist In February 1790 Franklin petitioned the

Congress to abolish slavery

Franklin vs. CongressFranklin’s petition generated outrage in the

Congress and nationFranklin was accused of upsetting the social

orderThe petition was rejected as Congress

decided it had no authority to interfere in the affairs of the states

Franklin’s DeathReligious views kept privateChild of the EnlightenmentBelieved in one God, Creator of the

UniverseDoubted Christ’s divinityBut recognized Christ’s significanceDied April 17, 1790

Franklin’s: LegacyIn the 1790s many of Franklin’s writings/

autobiography were publishedWhile reviled by the Federalists, many

Republicans embraced FranklinThe new rising “middling” class of artisans

saw Franklin as their heroThis group now saw themselves as worthy

to aspire to higher stations

Franklin’s “Way to Wealth”

Published in 1758 Franklin published his influential work as an essay.

Franklin used adages and advice that he had dispensed in Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Franklin Way to Wealth was and continues to be very influential

Franklin’s Way to Wealth, quotes• "There are no gains, without pains" • "One today is worth two tomorrows" • "Time is money" • "A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things" • "Get what you can, and what you get hold" • "Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used

key is always bright" • "Have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today" • "The eye of a master will do more work than both his hands"

• "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and

wise"

Lasting LegacyImportant concepts that have defined

Americans:

• Self made man• Enterprise and opportunity• Innovation• Industry• Work for a living

Mini Bio

http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234/videos/benjamin-franklin-mini-bio-2165760584