The Franklin File


BY VICTOR M. PARACHIN
OCTOBER 2017 • AMERICAN HISTORY MAGAZINE

Ten things you ought to know about old Ben
Long before America’s colonies unified into an independent nation, Benjamin Franklin was highly regarded as a scientist, inventor, diplomat, politician, educator, librarian, writer, and publisher. In no area of life did Franklin fail to exhibit extraordinary interest, from medicine and music, to science and philosophy, to technology and satire. Early in life, he emerged as colonial America’s smartest, most versatile citizen. As early as 1762, Oxford University was recognizing his talents and achievements with an honorary doctorate. Almost immediately, despite his limited formal education, he became known throughout Europe as “Dr. Franklin.” Among highlights of Dr. Franklin’s wide-ranging career:

He petitioned Congress to abolish slavery. In February 1790, Franklin wrote to the legislature, “Mankind are all formed by the same Almighty Being, alike objects of his care, and equally designed for the enjoyment of happiness.” He argued that Congress had a duty to establish “the blessings of liberty…to all people living in the United States…without distinction of color.” Specifically citing enslaved Africans, Franklin urged that Congress grant “liberty to those unhappy men who alone in this land of freedom are degraded into perpetual bondage.” Congress balked and members from southern states harshly denounced Franklin, declaring slavery a God-given system.