“The real Franklin was real – a man, and a great one at that.  We do him an injustice to idolize a parody of him when a more Humana sort of greatest emerges from an examination of his passionate struggles within himself to reconcile the prejudices of his intellectual heritage with life as he found it."

L. Jesse Lemisch, 1961

A Brief Biography

The following is a brief rendering of the life of Benjamin Franklin, with special preference given to the events that are reflective of Franklin’s dedication to the principle of life-long learning.  It is these events that lead Malcolm Knowles, in his book, The Making of an Adult Educator (1989), to call Franklin “every adult educator’s first American hero” (p. 63).  

Early Life

Josiah, my father, married young and carries his wife with three children to New England about 1682…some considerable men of his acquaintance determined to go to that country; and he was prevailed with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy the exercise of their religion with freedom.  By the same wife, my father had four children more born there, and by a second wife ten others – in all seventeen, of which I remember often to see thirteen sitting together at his table…I was the youngest son and the youngest of all the children except two daughters.  I was born in Boston, in New England, [in 1706].

I was put to the grammar school at eight years of age, my father intending to devote me as the tithe of his sons to the service of the church.  I continued, however at the grammar school rather less than a year…my father, burdened with a numerous family was unable to support the expense…give up his intention, took me from the grammar school and set me to a school for writing and arithmetic.  At ten years old, I was taken home to help my father in his business, which was that of a tallow chandler and soap boiler.  Accordingly I was employed in cutting wicks for the candles, filling the molds for cast candles, attending the shop, going on errands, etc.

From my infancy I was passionately fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was laid out in the purchasing of books.  This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession.  My father was impatient to have me bound to my brother…I stood out some time, but at last was persuaded and signed the indenture, when I was yet twelve years old.  I now had access to better books…[and] often I sat in my room reading the greatest part of the night.

While I was intent on improving my language, I met with an English grammar at the end of which there were two little sketches on the arts of rhetoric and logic, the latter finishing with a dispute in the Socratic method.  I was charmed with it, adopted it, dropped my abrupt contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on the humble inquirer.  In fact if you wish to instruct others, a positive, dogmatical manner in advancing your sentiments may provoke contradiction and prevent a candid attention.  If you desire instruction and improvement from the knowledge of others, you should not at the same time express yourself as firmly fixed in your present opinion; modest and sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error.

The First Citizen of Philadelphia

From 1723-1730, Franklin worked for varies printers in Philadelphia and London, England, where he was sent to buy printing presses.  He became the owner of his own print shop in Philadelphia, in 1730, when he was 24.  Later in 1730, Franklin married Deborah Read, the daughter of his first Philadelphia landlord.

…[I]n the autumn of the proceeding year [1727] I had formed most of my ingenious acquaintances into a club for the mutual improvement which we called the Junto.  We met on Friday evenings.  The rules that I drew up required that each member in his turn should produce one or more queries on any point of morals, politics, or natural philosophy, to be discussed by the company, and once in three months produce and read an essay of his own writing on any subject he pleased.  Our debates were to be under the direction of the president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of victory, and to prevent warmth, all expressions of positiveness in opinion or of direct contradiction were after some time made contraband and prohibited under small pecuniary penalties.

…[A] proposition was made by me [to the Junto members] that since our books were often referred to in our queries, it might be convenient to us to have them all together where we met, that upon occasion they might be consulted; and by thus clubbing our books to a common library, we should, while we liked to keep them together, have each of us advantage of using the books of all the other members, which would be nearly as beneficial as if each owned the whole.  And now I set on foot my first project of a public nature, that for a subscription library [1730]…This was the mother of all North American subscription libraries, now so numerous…These libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesman and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries, and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the Colonies in defense of their privileges.

In 1732 I first published my Almanac, under the name of Richard Saunders; it was continued by me about twenty-five years, commonly called Poor Richard’s Almanac.  I considered it as a proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought scarce any other books.  I considered my newspaper, [The Pennsylvania Gazette], also another means of communicating instruction, and in that view frequently reprinted in it extracts from the Spectator and other moral writers, and sometimes published little pieces of my own writing.  

My first [public] promotion was my being chosen in 1736 clerk of the General Assembly.  In 1737, Col. Spotswood, late Governor of Virginia, and then Postmaster-General, being dissatisfied with the conduct of his deputy at Philadelphia, offered it to me.  I began now to turn my thoughts a little to public affairs, beginning however, with small manners.  A project …which soon followed of …forming a company for the more ready extinguishing of fires, and mutual assistance in removing and securing of goods when in danger…We agreed to meet once a month and spend a social evening together in discoursing and communicating such ideas…experiences… that occurred to us upon the subject of fires as might be useful in our conduct on such occasions…how to command and to execute in the best manner upon every emergency.  Franklin’s other urban projects, besides fire fighting, included the city watch, the paving, cleaning, and lightening of streets, and the establishment of the first public hospital.  He often would publish ideas around these projects in the form of a letter to himself in the Pennsylvania Gazette and would end it with a statement similar to the following: Let others communicate their thoughts as freely as I have done mine, and perhaps something useful may be drawn from the Whole. 

         In 1743 Franklin proposed and established the American Philosophical Society, the oldest American learned society that stills exists today.

         The first drudgery of settling the colonies…is pretty well over; and there are many in every province in circumstances that set them at ease, and afford leisure to cultivate the finer arts and improve the common stock of knowledge.  To such of those who are men of speculation, many hints must from time to time arise, many observations occur, which if well examined, pursued, and improved, might produce discoveries to the advantage of some or all of the plantations, or to the benefit of mankind in general.  [I propose] that one society be formed of virtuosi or ingenious men residing in the several colonies…who are to maintain a constant correspondences…to communicate to each other their observations and experiments, to receive, read, and consider such letters, communications, or queries as shall be sent from distant members; to direct the dispersing of copies of such communications as are valuable, to other distant members, in order to procure their sentiment.

Public Servant and Statesman

          In 1748, Franklin, at age forty-two, was able to retire from business and now as “a man of leisure” he focused his attention on science, politics and public service.  The following is a list of some of his additional contributions to his nation and the people that he sought to service:

          In 1749, Franklin established the Pennsylvania Academy, and served as its president.  The University of Pennsylvania traces its origins to Franklin’s academy.

          In 1757, the Pennsylvania legislature sent Franklin to London to speak for the colony in a tax dispute with the governor.  Franklin remained in Britain for most of the next 18 years (1757-1775) as a sort of unofficial ambassador and spokesman.  In 1775, Franklin returned to American a month before the Revolutionary War begin and on May 6, 1775 the people of Philadelphia chose him to serve in the Second Continental Congress.  He was appointed a member of the committee assigned to draft the Declaration of Independence.

         In 1776, Franklin was sent to France to help form an alliance with Louis XVI.  The pact was signed on Feb. 6, 1778.  Franklin stayed on as Minister and helped to draft the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War.

         In 1785, Franklin returned to Philadelphia and for the next two years served as executive council of Pennsylvania.

         In 1787, Pennsylvania sent the 81-year-old Franklin as one of its delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

         I agree with this Constitution with all of its faults, if they are such.  It… astonishes me, sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish our enemies, who are waiting with confidence to hear that our councils are confounded, like those of the builders of Babel…Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best.

        Franklin’s attendance at the Constitutional Convention was his last major public service.  However, his interest in public affairs continued to the end of his life.  In 1788, he was elected president of the first antislavery society in American and Franklin’s last public act was to sign an appeal to Congress calling for the speedy abolition of slavery.