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Franklin became one of Philadelphia's leading citizens, founding a sanitation department, a fire brigade, the American Philosophical Society, and the first circulating library in British North America.
Franklin became one of Philadelphia's leading citizens, founding a sanitation department, a fire brigade, the American Philosophical Society, and the first circulating library in British North America.
Franklin guided the establishment of the [[University of Pennsylvania]], which was chartered as nonsectarian. It was a new type of institution, unlike rival colleges it did not primarily train clergy. Instead it educated students for careers in the professions and business and for public service. It established America's first modern liberal arts curriculum."<ref>see [http://www.upenn.edu/about/heritage.php online]</ref> During Franklin's time in England, he was a member of the [[Lunar Society]] based in [[Birmingham]], creators of the [[Industrial Revolution]], and also the [[Hellfire Club]] of Sir Francis Dashwood.
==Inventor==
By age 42, Franklin was wealthy enough to retire from publishing and devote most of his time to his scientific pursuits.
In 1744, he designed the "Pennsylvania Fireplace" (commonly known as the [[Franklin Stove]]<ref> See [http://fi.edu/franklin/inventor/images/franklinstove.jpg illustration</ref>, a wood burning stove that fit inside a fireplace and maximized usefulheat while producing less smoke. The stove was not as practical as he had hoped, but it laid the groundwork for more efficient wood burning stoves.
[[image:BF_Gulf_stream_map.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Franklin's Chart of the Gulf Stream]]
Franklin's numerous other inventions include bifocal glasses<ref> see [http://www.antiquespectacles.com/topics/franklin/franklin.htm illustration]</ref>, the glass armonica, the flexible catheter, the odometer, and swimming fins.
On his many ocean trips he carefully monitored temperatures and currents, thereby discovering the [[Gulf Stream]] in the Atlantic Ocean.
Franklin invented bi-focal lenses, a heat efficient stove, and the swivel chair. His famous experiment with a kite led directly to his invention of the lighting rod. He won the contract from the Royal Navy to outfit its ships with lighting rods. By 1750, Franklin was easily the most famous of the King’s American subjects.
===Electricity===
Franklin's great scientific achievement came in his experiments and theories regarding [[electricity]]. He was first intrigued by the concept after meeting Archibald Spencer and witnessing his demonstrations on the creation of static electricity. In 1747, Spencer donated a glass tube and information on generating electricity to the Library Company. Franklin had several of these glass devices made for his experiments. He theorized that electricity was one "fluid." He discovered that when a "positive" charge is created that a "negative" charge is created as well, which became known as the [[conservation of charge]]. He also began using [[Leyden jar]]s, a glass jar with foil on the outside and a conductor such as water or metal on the inside that could be charged with a wire. Franklin determined that the charge was not stored in the conductor, as was previously thought, and was held in the glass.<ref>We now know that the Leyden jar is an early form of the [[capacitor]], that the charge is contained in a layer of the conductor facing the glass and that the glass (the [[dielectricum]]) increases the [[capacitance]] of the jar (amount of charge that can be held).</ref> Based on this knowledge, he invented the first electrical battery, which was a series of glass planks that were flanked by metal and wired together.
Franklin began noticing the similar properties of [[lightning]] and electrical sparks, which led to his most famous experiment. In 1750, Franklin outlined his proposal in two letters to Peter Collinson, which were published and presented to the Royal Society in London. On May 10, 1752 French scientist [[Thomas-François D'Alibard]] successfully performed Franklin's experiment outside of Paris. In June, before word of success had crossed the Atlantic, Franklin performed his kite and key experiment with his son, William, with similar success, which has become a popular part of American folklore.<ref> See [http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/kite.html], [http://www.thebakken.org/electricity/franklin-kite.html] and [http://www2.fi.edu/exhibits/permanent/electricity.php]</ref> This led to the invention of lightning rods [http://fi.edu/franklin/inventor/images/rod.jpg], which became widespread in the colonies, as well as Europe, bringing international fame to Franklin almost overnight. In 1753, he received honorary degrees from both Harvard and Yale, and the Royal Society in London awarded him the prestigious [[Copley Medal]].
Franklin is responsible for the nomenclature of "positive" and "negative" charge. He believed he could tell the direction in which electricity traveled by observing sparks. He was wrong; the electrons, which are the particles carrying ordinary [[electricity]], move in the opposite of the direction he thought they did. As a result, when electrons were discovered, according to Franklin's designation they had to be considered as having a negative charge.
Franklin is responsible for the nomenclature of "positive" and "negative" charge. He believed he could tell the direction in which electricity traveled by observing sparks. He was wrong; the electrons, which are the particles carrying ordinary [[electricity]], move in the opposite of the direction he thought they did. As a result, when electrons were discovered, according to Franklin's designation they had to be considered as having a negative charge.
Franklin arrived back in Philadelphia in September 1785. The [[Articles of Confederation]], which were ratified by all the colonies in 1781, proved to be inefficient for governing the new nation, particularly because they granted the national government no power to levy taxes. In 1787 the [[Constitutional Convention]] convened in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution. Franklin, at age 81 the oldest delegate, played an honorific role and his support helped legitimize the project.
Franklin arrived back in Philadelphia in September 1785. The [[Articles of Confederation]], which were ratified by all the colonies in 1781, proved to be inefficient for governing the new nation, particularly because they granted the national government no power to levy taxes. In 1787 the [[Constitutional Convention]] convened in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution. Franklin, at age 81 the oldest delegate, played an honorific role and his support helped legitimize the project.
==Slavery==
Franklin's final political activism dealt with the issue of slavery. Franklin, who himself had been a slaveowner<ref>Franklin owned two slaves, which he eventually freed, and also ran advertisements for slave sales in his ''Pennsylvania Gazette''.</ref>, joined the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and became their president in 1787. The Society had hoped he would bring up the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention, which he declined to do, realizing that it would be too contentious of an issue. In November 1789, he published his ''Address to the Public'' which appealed for the emancipation of slaves and the further education of free blacks. Franklin's antislavery role was primarily honorific.
At the end of his life Franklin was supported the abolition of slavery. Franklin, who himself had been a slaveowner<ref>Franklin owned two slaves, which he eventually freed, and also ran advertisements for slave sales in his ''Pennsylvania Gazette''.</ref>, joined the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and became their president in 1787. The Society had hoped he would bring up the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention, which he declined to do, realizing that it would be too contentious of an issue. In November 1789, he published his ''Address to the Public'' which appealed for the emancipation of slaves and the further education of free blacks. Franklin's antislavery role was primarily honorific.
==Death==
==Death==