The Remarkable Genius of Benjamin Franklin

Among the most beloved and revered of the United States’ founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin’s unique genius knows no parallel.

Recognized at home and abroad then as now, Franklin remains pre-eminent for his multi-faceted genius.

Franklin was, in particular, a major force for positive change in his native Philadelphia pushing for many notable public projects such as the first public lending library and the first non-religious college — today’s University of Pennsylvania.

He also helped to organize Pennsylvania’s first volunteer militia and the nation’s first all-volunteer fire company in the U.S.

Franklin also helped to sew important values into the fabric of the American psyche.

Foremost amongst these values was his espousal of good habits including hard work, tolerance and communal self-care.

His pragmatism also helped to build compromises amidst the complexities of American politics.

Arguably Franklin’s most important contribution, however, was to the nation itself.

He signed all three documents that severed the U.S. from the British, and he was able to successfully appeal to the French to financially aid the United States against the British during the American Revolutionary War.

Franklin also made major contributions to science making him a name on both sides of the Atlantic famously experimenting with electricity.

Having led an outstanding career as a printer, author, diplomat, philanthropist, statesman and scientist, Franklin was also a strong proponent of auto-didactism.

In line with his belief in the power of a well-informed and well-educated society, he used his newspaper enterprises to better spread knowledge to the masses.

For those who were illiterate, especially among the less privileged classes of American society, Franklin included cartoons and pictures in his publications so as to reach all stratums of society.