The Bridgeville Area Historical Society program meeting for March was an entertaining presentation on Benjamin Franklin by Jack Puglisi, in his annual visit to Bridgeville. Mr. Puglisi began with a disclaimer; he considers himself a history enthusiast rather than historian. I would classify him as a history scholar; he certainly has a comprehensive knowledge of whatever topic he presents.
Franklin was born in Boston in 1706, the fifteenth of seventeen children of a candlemaker. His formal schooling was limited to two years at the Boston Latin School; he supplemented his modest education by reading voraciously. At age twelve he was apprenticed to his brother James, a printer, where he learned a trade that would profit him the rest of his life.
When he was seventeen he left Boston for Philadelphia, then the biggest metropolis in the colonies, and found work for a printer. Pennsylvania Governor Sir William Keith was so impressed with him that he encouraged Franklin to go to London and purchase the necessary equipment to start a new newspaper, using Keith’s credit. When he got to London he learned that Keith had no credit whatsoever and that he was stranded there.
He soon found work in a printing shop and earned enough money to pay for passage home. Back in Philadelphia he found a partner to fund him and opened his own print shop. In 1729 he began publishing his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette”. His printing and publishing business prospered, largely because of his clever writing. In 1733 he began to publish the immediately popular “Poor Richard’s Alamanck”, with its classic homespun sayings. It eventually sold 10,000 copies per year.
In addition to his business ventures Franklin pursued an insatiable interest in science, while at the same time becoming a major figure in public life. He is acknowledged as America’s greatest scientist of the eighteenth century. In addition to his highly publicized kite flying experiment, he is credited with coining the terms negative and positive for the two states of electricity and with inventing the first electrical storage battery.
The kite flying experiment led to the invention of the lightning rod. Mr. Puglisi reported that, prior to Franklin’s experiments, it was believed that thunder and lightning was evidence of God’s displeasure with mankind and that the remedy for it was to ring the church bells. Imagine the life expectancy of a bell ringer pulling on a soaking wet bell rope in the midst of a thunder storm! Several hundred fatalities were recorded in the early 1700s. The lightning rod came to their rescue.
The Franklin stove was another significant invention, completely revolutionizing cooking by eliminating the necessity of cooking over an open fire. He also invented bifocal spectacles and the glass harmonica. His major scientific contributions included understanding the Atlantic Ocean currents (especially the Gulf Stream), the wave theory of light, meteorology, and decision-making. Franklin was indeed a polymath.
His contributions in public life are equally impressive, being involved in the first volunteer fire department; the first public library; the first home-owners’ insurance company; the first hospital: and the Philadelphia Academy, which eventually became the University of Pennsylvania. He founded the American Philosophical Society to permit scientists to discuss their discoveries and theories.
In 1747 Franklin, now one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, retired from printing, to focus on his other interests. His political career progressed from Philadelphia Councilman to Justice of the Peace to the Pennsylvania Assembly. In 1753 he was appointed deputy postmaster-general for all the colonies. In 1757 the Assembly sent him to London to protest against the political influence of the Penn family, proprietors of the colony.
Franklin found London much to his liking and spent most of the next eighteen years there. He soon became the leading spokesman for American interests in England. Initially he considered himself a loyal subject of the Crown, but as relations between the colonies and King George III continued to deteriorate, his rebellious tendencies grew. He testified to Parliament in opposition to levying taxes on the colonies to pay for the French and Indian War, unsuccessfully. He returned to Philadelphia in 1775, in time to have a significant influence on the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
While in London Franklin had been able to have his son William named Royal Governor of New Jersey. In this role William opposed the Revolution and became an active Loyalist, resulting in a lifelong estrangement from his father.
Late in 1776 the Continental Congress sent Franklin to Paris, as commissioner to France. He liked Paris even more than London, staying there until 1785. He is credited with gradually persuading the French to support our Revolution, eventually becoming our ally against the British, ensuring our ultimate success. In 1785 he came home, in time to participate in the Constitutional Convention and help ratify the new Constitution.
Franklin died in Philadelphia at the age of eighty-four. In addition to being remembered as one of the greatest of our Founding Fathers, his legacy as author, scientist, inventor, humorist, and diplomat is equally impressive.
The question and answer session following Mr. Puglisi’s presentation was particularly lively, as the audience appeared intent on taking advantage of his knowledge of the early days of our nation. He reflected on the significance of Western Pennsylvania on the development of modern (mid-nineteenth century) society.
The British-French conflict over the forks of the Ohio led to the French and Indian War. Britain’s attempt to pay for winning that war led to the American Revolutionary War. France’s support of our Revolution led to financial problems that caused their Revolution. It in term produced Napoleon Bonaparte, fear of whom led to Britain’s Industrial Revolution.
Mr. Puglisi also suggested that the development of political parties during Washington’s presidency reflected basic philosophical differences between statesmen who had been actively involved in the Revolutionary War and considered themselves dedicated to the nation (Federalists) and those who had been on the sidelines and still had primary allegiance to their individual states (Republicans).
This is an interesting premise. Based on our recent study of Washington in 1784, we believe that he still was a Virginian at that time and had not yet made the transition to American. This despite his long service with the Army and its emphasis on nation rather than colony (state). The concept warrants further consideration.
The Society’s next program meeting is scheduled for 7:30 pm, April 30, 2019. Ms. Emily Ruby, of the Heinz History Center, will discuss “Destination Moon – the Apollo 11 Mission” and how Western Pennsylvania people and innovations helped the nation achieve this remarkable achievement. The venue is the Chartiers Room at the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department on Commercial Street.