Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin1706-1790The First AmericanChipman- American Literature

Franklins familyFranklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston. He was the fifteenth child and tenth son in his family. He first met his future wife, Deborah Reed Rogers, in 1724, when he was 17 years old. Deborahs mother refused to allow her to marry Franklin, and instead Deborah married John Rogers. Shortly after the marriage, John Rogers accumulated a number of debts and ran away to Barbados, leaving Deborah behind. In the meantime, Franklin fathered an illegitimate son, William. Williams mother is unknown. Because John Rogers fate was never known and bigamy is illegal, Franklin and Deborah never married formally. They established a common law marriage and had two children, Francis and Sarah (called Sally) and raised William. Franklins son, William, was a loyalist. That means he was in favor of remaining loyal to the English monarchy. He eventually became governor of New Jersey. For a brief time, William spied on his father and reported his activities to the British authorities.

Founding FatherFranklin is the only person to have signed all three of the major documents that secured Americas freedom from England: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution. Franklin edited the Declaration of Independence after Jefferson wrote it. Franklin was 81 and in poor health during the Constitutional Convention. Some of Franklins disagreements with the Constitution:Franklin believed that executive power was too great to be in the hands of one person. He favored a committee. Franklin favored a unicameral legislature, as opposed to a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.In an impassioned speech, he urged all of the delegates to the Convention to sign the Constitution. Even though he considered the document flawed, he said it was the best document that they could expect.

Citizen of the WorldDuring Franklins time, the average Americans never traveled more than 20 miles from their homes during their lifetimes. Franklin made eight Atlantic crossings and visited ten countries. Served as a diplomat and negotiated treaties with England, France, Sweden, and Spain. He was granted honorary degrees in America, England, and Scotland. Franklin was Americas first international celebrity. And was, during his lifetime, the most famous American in the world. He once wrote to his daughter from France and said, "My picture is everywhere, on the lids of snuff boxes, on rings, busts. The numbers sold are incredible. My portrait is a best seller, you have prints, and copies of prints and copies of copies spread everywhere. Your father's face is now as well known as the man in the moon."

The JuntoIn 1727, Franklin founded a discussion group called the Junto. During their weekly meetings the Junto members discussed a pre-set series of questions aimed at helping them brainstorm ways of improving themselves, improving their community, and developing charitable pursuits. Also called the Leather Apron Club because of the relatively blue-collar nature of most of the members jobs. Through the Junto, Franklin promoted a volunteer fire-fighting squad, a public hospital, and a night watchman security detail. The American Philosophical Society, which still exists, sprang from Franklins Junto meetings.

Franklin & ElectricityIn the 18th century, much of what people believed about the natural world was based on folklore and superstition. The only known form of electricity at the time was static electricity. (the largest electrical sparks people could make then were under an inch long). Most people believed that lightning was a sign of Gods wrath. Through Franklins many experiments with electricity, he proved the lightning was an electrical current in nature. In July of 1752, he conducted his famous experiment with a kite and a key to see if lightning was indeed a form of electricity. But the actual experiment was not conducted as set forth by popular American Mythology he did not fly the kite in a lightning storm (he would have been killed if struck). Instead he flew the kite high into a storm cloud and gathered sparks from the cloud that traveled down the string to the key. Franklin also invented the lightning rod, which is still used today, to draw lightning safely away from buildings and other structures to a safely grounded terminal.

Franklin the InventorSwim FinsLibrary ChairExtension ArmFranklin StoveLightning RodStreet LightsOdometerBifocal GlassesDaylight Savings Time

Franklin the MusicianFranklin was a composer and played the viola. Franklin also invented an instrument, the glass armonica, for which both Beethoven and Mozart composed music. The glass armonica consisted of 37 glass circles that produced different pitches. The instrument was played by rubbing moistened fingers against the circles which were spun by pumping a pedal. Some who played the instrument regularly complained that it upset them emotionally that the vibrations entered their fingers and caused them mental anguish. It has since been suggested that the maladies were caused by lead poisoning caused by the lead in the glass of the instrument.

A modern glass armonica

Franklin and MedicineFranklin made a number of contributions to medicine in his lifetime. Some of his most significant contributions:The common cold: During the 18th century, people generally believed that the common cold was caused by wet clothes and cold air. Franklin observed that while sailors were always wet and cold, they were not particularly sickly. Even though he had no knowledge of germs and viruses, Franklin was among the first to suggest that the common cold was passed from person-to-person through the air. Lead poisoning: Because Franklin was a printer, he noticed that he and the people who worked for him often suffered from sore joints after working with warm print dye. He was among the first to link these maladies with exposure to lead. He ceased using warm dye and used cold dye, which had less lead in it, instead. Pennsylvania Hospital: Franklin raised the funds (with the help of fellow Junto members) to establish the first public hospital in the US.

Franklin Americas first political cartoonistCartoon appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. Accompanied Franklins editorial about the disunited state of the colonies. The article stresses the importance of unity in the face of the threats posed by the Indians and by the French and English. Each piece of the snake is labeled with the abbreviation of a colony. (NE refers to the New England Colonies: Mass, CT, RI, and NH) The pieces appear in geographical order from South to North. At the time there was a superstition that a snake, cut into pieces, could come back to life if the pieces were put back together before nightfall.

Slave-Owner turned AbolitionistFranklin owned two slaves, George and King, who worked at his newspaper. Initially, like most people in America at this time, Franklin believed that African slaves were inferior to whites and could not be educated. He changed his position when he visited a school where young slave children were being taught. He wrote: "I was on the whole much pleased, and from what I then saw, have conceived a higher opinion of the natural capacities of the black race, than I had ever before entertained. Their apprehension seems as quick, their memory as strong, and their docility in every respect equal to that of white children." Its thought that Franklins conversion to abolitionist beliefs sprang from his animosity toward the British and his belief that the British were seeking to enslave the American colonists. In 1785, Franklin joined (and eventually became president of) Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, an abolitionist group founded by Quakers. He subsequently freed George and King. In a publication called An Address to the Public, Franklin advocated the education of slaves so they might become productive members of society.

Am I not a man and a brother?A medallion of the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society.

Features a kneeling slave, naked and in chains.

Nudity symbolic of nobility and freedom.

Kneeling to symbolize both the supplication suggested by the quote but also to symbolize the Christian value inherent in the anti-slavery movement.

three great puffy rollsOne of the great American legends revolving around Franklin comes from a passage in his autobiography when he tells about his arrival in Philadelphia. Hed long sought employment in both NYC and Boston, but couldnt get a job. He arrives in Philadelphia homeless, with three pennies to his name, and with no job prospects. He stops by a bakery and is so astonished that was three pennies, hes able to buy three great puffy rolls. He proudly strolled down the street, eating one and with two more under his arm. He began knocking on doors and by the end of the day, hed been hired as a printer. In his autobiography, hes poking fun at himself, but historians have clung to the tale as a charming anecdote that reveals Franklins character and typifies him as the Ideal American. This tale shows Franklin as nave and optimistic (willing to spend his last three pennies on a luxury like rolls), as self-confident and as the epitome of the American Dream/rags-to-riches story (Franklin was penniless and down on his luck).

Odds & ends Franklin revolutionized the postal service in the US. He served as the Postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737 and was the Postmaster of the US Colonies in 1775. During his tenure he cut mail delivery time in half.

Franklin discovered the Gulf Stream, the warm and well-defined current that runs up the East Coast from Florida to Canada. He suggested (correctly) that the Gulf Stream influenced weather patterns and could be used to improve the speed of shipping between Europe and America. Franklin also set up the first fire insurance company in America. Franklin was also instrumental in the founding of the University of Pennsylvania, the first secular university in America

Franklins Death MaskIn his autobiography, Franklin dwells on his troubles with the virtue of humility, but despite his numerous contributions during his lifetime and his international celebrity, Benjamin Franklin began his last will and testament with the words: I, Benjamin Franklin, of Philadelphia, printer

Jean Valade, PORTRAIT OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (ca. 1786) H.B. Hall, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1868)

ResourcesPBS: Benjamin Franklin: an extraordinary life, an electric mind. http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/index.html The Franklin Institute http://www.fi.edu/franklin/ American Passages http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit04/author_activ-5.html