Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American statesman whose efforts were critical to the success of the American Revolution. He has been called "the First American." He served as a diplomat to Britain (before 1775) and in France during the Revolution. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence and was instrumental in facilitating compromises in the U.S. Constitution. Franklin was a world class scientist during the Enlightenment, famed for his discoveries in electricity and his invention of the lightning rod. He was a noted printer and civic leader in Philadelphia.
Early Life
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts into a Puritan family. His father was Josiah Franklin, a soap and candle maker, that was twice married and had 17 children. Originally Josiah planned for his son to enter the ministry, but after 2 years of schooling changed his mind. Benjamin briefly worked as an apprentice under his father before being apprenticed to his brother James, who was a printer, at the age of 12. After losing the contract to print one of Boston's newspapers, James created the first independent newspaper in the colonies, a weekly publication called the New England Courant. The Courant became Franklin's first public forum and he began writing essays under the pseudonym Silence Dogood. Franklin, taking the position of a widow, wrote 14 essays between April and October 1722. The Courant drew the attention of the local authorities, who prohibited James from publishing it, because they claimed it mocked religion. In order to continue printing, James released his brother from his apprenticeship and named him the publisher; Benjamin used this release to run away to Philadelphia in 1723 at the age of 17.
Printer and Civic Leader
In Philadelphia, he found work as a printer working for Samuel Keimer. Franklin was persuaded by governor William Keith that he needed to go into business for himself. Offering letters of credit, he suggested Franklin go to London to purchase equipment. When he arrived in London in December 1724, he found that Keith had no credit to provide. Deciding to make the most of the situation, he found work at local print shops. In July of 1726, he returned to Philadelphia with the aide of Thomas Denham, a Quaker merchant he knew. Denham paid for Franklin's trip in exchange for work in his general store. After a short employment with Denham, Franklin returned briefly to Keimer's print shop. In 1728, with the backing of the father of his fellow apprentice and partner Hugh Meredith, went into business for themselves. Franklin soon bought out Meredith, giving Franklin full control of his own print shop. In October 1729, Franklin began publishing The Pennsylvania Gazette, which he bought from his former employer.
In September 1730, Franklin entered a common law marriage with Deborah Read. No legal ceremony was possible because Deborah was still legally married; her husband had deserted to avoid paying a debt. Although there were reports of his death, nothing was confirmed. Around this time, Franklin fathered an illegitimate son named William, who was raised in his new household. In 1732, Deborah gave birth to their first son, Francis, who died of smallpox at the age of 4, leading Franklin to become an advocate of vaccinations. Sarah Franklin, who went by Sally, was born 11 years later in 1743.
In late 1732, began writing and publishing Poor Richard's Almanack, under the guise of Poor Richard Saunders and his wife, Bridget. It's purpose was to provide practical knowledge to the common man, while interjecting a healthy dose of humor. Franklin had a knack for taking existing proverbs and rewording them in a wittier manner. Franklin's wit was instrumental in separating Poor Richard's from the other almanacs being printed in Philadelphia. It also served as an outlet for Franklin's desire toward self improvement and helping others. It became an annual publication from 1732 to 1758.
Throughout the 1730's, he further demonstrated his civic-mindedness by creating and organizing community services in Philadelphia. He did this with the help of the Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club, a group of friends and fellow tradesmen that had formed a social club in 1727. He established America's first subscription library, the Library Company of Philadelphia, in 1731. In 1736, he organized the first volunteer fire department, the Union Fire Company. In 1743, he expanded the idea of the Junto to all of the colonies by organizing the American Philosophical Society. In January 1751, Franklin helped establish the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania and served on the board of trustees until 1790. Shortly afterward he helped fund the Pennsylvania Hospital. He was also an advocate for a more organized police force, which he was eventually able to do by 1752.
Perhaps his most radical idea of the time was to create the Pennsylvania Militia, independent of the colonial government. The numerous French and Indian Wars were a threat to the safety of Pennsylvania. The government was controlled by the Penn family, who were pacifist Quakers, and were reluctant to organize any defense. In November 1747, Franklin wrote a pamphlet called Plain Truth in which he advocated the creation of a defense force, since the government would not do so. The pamphlet was enthusiastically received, and Franklin organized and funded a 10,000 man militia, which generated him enormous popularity. The militia would disband in 1748, however he further developed his antagonistic relationship with Thomas Penn, who referred to Franklin's actions as "little less than treason."
Franklin also believed in the importance of religion, although he was a deist in regards to the positive social effects it achieved. He stressed that morality and performing good deeds were more important than just faith alone. During the First Great Awakening, he came to the defense of the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Hemphill, whose sermons dealt more with good works than church dogma, when he was accused of heresy. He also became an unlikely supporter of the wandering preacher George Whitefield. Franklin was impressed by Whitefield's ability to captivate the population of Philadelphia, generating a renewed enthusiasm toward religion. Franklin went on to publish reviews of his speeches in the Pennsylvania Gazette and also began publishing Whitefield's sermons.
By the late 1740's, Franklin's printing business had expanded throughout the colonies. In 1748, he retired from the printing business and passed control of his operations to David Hall, while maintaining partial ownership.
Scientist and Inventor
During the 1740's, Franklin spent much of his free time performing experiments and using the results to invent and improve practical things. In 1744, he designed the "Pennsylvania Fireplace", a wood burning stove designed to fit inside an existing fireplace that would maximize heat with less smoke. While not as practical as he had hoped it became the predecessor to more efficient wood burning stoves. In a move typical of his civic minded behavior, he declined what would have been a lucrative patent on the stove.
Franklin is most famous for his work with electricity. He was first intrigued by the concept after meeting Archibald Spencer who demonstrated how to create static electricity using a glass tube. In 1747, Spencer donated a glass tube and information on generating electricity to the Library Company. Franklin would have several of these glass devices made for his experiments. He determined that electricity was one "fluid", instead of the popular theory that there were two fluids, vitreous and resinous. He discovered that when a "positive" charge is created that a "negative" charge is as well, which became known as the conservation of charge. He also began using Leyden jars, a glass jar with foil on the outside and a conductor such as water or metal on the inside that could be charged with a wire. Franklin determined that the charge was not stored in the conductor, as was previously thought, and was held in the glass. Based on this knowledge, he invented the first electrical battery, which was a series of glass planks that were flanked by metal and wired together.
Franklin began noticing the similar properties of lightning and electrical sparks, which led to his most famous experiment. In 1750, Franklin outlined his proposal in two letters to Peter Collinson, which were published and presented to the Royal Society in London. On May 10, 1752 French scientist Thomas-François D'Alibard successfully performed Franklin's experiment outside of Paris. In June, before word of success had crossed the Atlantic, Franklin performed his kite and key experiment with his son, William, with similar success, which has become a popular part of American folklore. This led to the invention of lightning rods, which became widespread in the colonies, as well as Europe, bringing international fame to Franklin almost overnight. In 1753, he received honorary degrees from both Harvard and Yale, and the Royal Society awarded him the prestigious Copley Medal.
Bibliography
- Becker, Carl Lotus. "Benjamin Franklin," Dictionary of American Biography (1931) vol 3, with hot links online
- Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2004)