Benjamin Franklin

Portrait by [[Joseph Duplessis]], 1778 Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a leading writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.

Franklin became a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, the leading city in the colonies, publishing the ''Pennsylvania Gazette'' at age 23. He became wealthy publishing this and ''Poor Richard's Almanack'', which he wrote under the pseudonym "Richard Saunders". After 1767, he was associated with the ''Pennsylvania Chronicle'', a newspaper known for its revolutionary sentiments and criticisms of the policies of the British Parliament and the Crown. He pioneered and was the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which opened in 1751 and later became the University of Pennsylvania. He organized and was the first secretary of the American Philosophical Society and was elected its president in 1769. He was appointed deputy postmaster-general for the British colonies in 1753, which enabled him to set up the first national communications network.

He was active in community affairs and colonial and state politics, as well as national and international affairs. Franklin became a hero in America when, as an agent in London for several colonies, he spearheaded the repeal of the unpopular Stamp Act by the British Parliament. An accomplished diplomat, he was widely admired as the first U.S. ambassador to France and was a major figure in the development of positive Franco - American relations. His efforts proved vital in securing French aid for the American Revolution. From 1785 to 1788, he served as President of Pennsylvania. At some points in his life, he owned slaves and ran "for sale" ads for slaves in his newspaper, but by the late 1750s, he began arguing against slavery, became an active abolitionist, and promoted the education and integration of African Americans into U.S. society.

As a scientist, his studies of electricity made him a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics. He also charted and named the Gulf Stream current. His numerous important inventions include the lightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stove. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity. He was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Paris, peace with Britain and the Constitution. Foundational in defining the American ethos, Franklin has been called "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become".

His life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and his status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honored for more than two centuries after his death on the $100 bill and in the names of warships, many towns and counties, educational institutions and corporations, as well as in numerous cultural references and a portrait in the Oval Office. His more than 30,000 letters and documents have been collected in ''The Papers of Benjamin Franklin.'' Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot said of him: "Eripuit fulmen cœlo, mox sceptra tyrannis" ("He snatched lightning from the sky and the scepter from tyrants"). Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 301 - 320 results of 448 for search 'Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790', query time: 0.03s Refine Results
  1. 301
  2. 302
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1882
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  3. 303
  4. 304
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1870
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  5. 305
  6. 306
  7. 307
  8. 308
  9. 309
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1938
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  10. 310
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1934
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  11. 311
  12. 312
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1813
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  13. 313
  14. 314
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1938
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  15. 315
  16. 316
  17. 317
  18. 318
  19. 319
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 1809
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book
  20. 320
    Author: Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
    Published 2005
    In collection: Published Materials
    Book