Benjamin Franklin: Lover of Liberty and Learning

Benjamin Franklin epitomized what it meant to be an American. Throughout his life before, during, and immediately after the American Revolution, Franklin achieved great fame and success in the fields of printing, invention, public commentary, politics, and science. His educational philosophy and moral teachings focused on self-improvement through individual initiative, virtuous living, and community service. Though largely self-taught, Franklin established institutions for the formal education of future generations. He advocated for universal access to education, including for females, and personally arranged for the education of one of his African American slaves. Benjamin Franklin established the political philosophy of pragmatism, whereby an action is deemed moral if it produces a positive result. He espoused a vision of positive liberty, holding that all persons should be free to live virtuous and purposeful lives. Benjamin Franklin did as much as anyone, except perhaps George Washington, to secure freedom for his countrymen. A well-known historian calls him “The First American” (Brands, The first American: The life and times of Benjamin Franklin. Doubleday, 2000).