Lessons on Humility and Truth-Seeking from Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin spoke and wrote in ways that, if taken up now, could begin to erode the polarization of the current era. Introduction The previous year in the United States was a turbulent one, filled with political strife, protests over racism and a devastating pandemic. Underlying all three has been a pervasive political polarization, made[…]

Benjamin Franklin: Not a Deist, but Not a Christian

He believed that religion promoted virtuous behavior and that Jesus was the greatest moral teacher who ever lived but was not God. Ezra Stiles (1727–1795), the Calvinist president of Yale College, was curious about Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) and his faith. In 1790, he asked the nation’s senior statesman if he would commit his religious beliefs[…]

Remembering, History, and Identity: The Sculpted Life of Benjamin Franklin

The statues of Benjamin Franklin perfectly exemplify the interrelation between history and memory. By Mert DenizPhD StudentAmerican Culture and Literature DepartmentHacettepe University Abstract History and memory are always in interaction as history is the craft of composing fragments of memory into an understandable narrative, so it serves as a medium of transferring memories between individuals,[…]

A Biography of Benjamin Franklin from the American Revolution

Even after his death in 1790, Franklin remained an American celebrity. Introduction Born in Boston on January 17, 1706, young Franklin struck out on his own in 1723, eventually finding employment as a journeyman printer in Philadelphia. Franklin’s newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette, his Poor Richard’s Almanack, and work as an inventor and scientist propelled him[…]

How Benjamin Franklin Used Religion to Fight Religious Political Influence

He used his support of the Great Awakening to greatly benefit financially, affording him time to champion the separation of church and state. In 21st century America, evangelical Christianity is a bulwark of the political right. Not only are evangelicals some of Donald Trump’s firmest supporters, but the born-again movement has translated its power into[…]

Benjamin Franklin Was One-Fifth Revolutionary, Four-Fifths London Intellectual

The enterprising Philadelphian was a long-time Royalist and late-blooming rebel who fused the American project with English ideals. Two hundred and fifty years ago, in February 1766, Benjamin Franklin, the most famous American in London, addressed the British House of Commons. His aim, which he achieved triumphantly, was to persuade Parliament to repeal the Stamp[…]

Eclipsing the Occult in Early America: Benjamin Franklin and His Almanacs

Franklin advanced a scientific – not supernatural – understanding of astronomical events such as eclipses. His satirical character ‘Poor Richard’ mocked those who bought into astrological predictions. By the time he was 20 years old, colonial American Benjamin Franklin had already spent two years working as a printer in London. He returned to Philadelphia in[…]