Benjamin Franklin, a notable American polymath, made immense contributions to various fields such as literature, science, innovation, diplomacy, publishing, printing, and philosophy. His extensive list of contributions to the United States includes being a Founding Father, writing the Declaration of Independence, and serving as the first postmaster general.

Franklin's work in the realm of electricity and his naming and mapping of the Gulf Stream marked him as a prominent figure in American enlightenment thought and the progress of physics. His most popular creations include the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. He also founded the University of Pennsylvania, the Library Company, and Philadelphia's first fire department. Known as "The First American," he strongly supported the colonial union, engaged in prolific writing, and represented multiple colonies in London. He also played a crucial role in defining the American ethos, which synthesized the Enlightenment's scientific and tolerant values with traditional American values of education, hard work, thrift, self-governing institutions, community spirit, and resistance to political and religious authoritarianism. The historian Henry Steele Commager once said, "In Franklin may be joined the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the brightness of the Enlightenment without its frenzy." Historians often hail him as "the most talented American of his age and the most important in establishing the type of society America would become."

Franklin began his career as a newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia when he was just 23 years old. He published the Pennsylvania Gazette and wrote the famous Poor Richard's Almanack under the pen name "Richard Saunders." He also involved himself with the radical Pennsylvania Chronicle, known for its severe indictment of British Parliament and Crown conduct, after 1767.

Franklin was selected as the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which he established and led publicly in 1751. The organization eventually became the University of Pennsylvania. After establishing and initially serving as secretary to the American Philosophical Society, he was elected the president of the organization in 1769. He also rose to prominence in the United States after leading an effort to revoke the Stamp Act and representing other colonies. In Paris, as the American envoy, the French admired his diplomatic abilities and credited him with strengthening ties between the two countries. The French government eventually approved the American Revolution. In 1753, after being the postmaster of Philadelphia for several years, he received the position of deputy postmaster-general for the British colonies, enabling him to establish the country's first widespread communication system. He was involved in politics at different levels, including at the neighborhood, colonial, state, and national levels. Between 1785 and 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. While he may have traded and owned slaves, by the 1750s, he had become an abolitionist fighting for equal opportunities for African Americans to receive an education and participate in all aspects of American society.

Even two centuries after Benjamin Franklin's death, he is remembered as one of the most critical figures in American history due to his contributions to politics and science. His image appears in multiple public spaces such as the Oval Office, on the $100 bill, on battleships, in the names of municipalities, counties, schools, and businesses, and countless other contexts. The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, an archive of over 30,000 letters and other documents compiled by the American Philosophical Society and Yale University, serves as a documentation of Franklin's life.

Bibliography

Franklin, B. (2020). Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd.