Benjamin Franklin and an Educated Citizenry

Franklin’s fame as a scientist and diplomat overshadows his reputation among Pennsylvanians of his day as a significant educational theorist. Franklin believed that if America were to succeed, it should have an informed citizenry. Franklin established a new educational model (for both day schools and colleges) based on practical applications of knowledge. His approach toward education was just as revolutionary as his approaches toward imperial politics and scientific discoveries. Carla Mulford will speak about Franklin’s liberal eighteenth-century model of education and its influence on academic systems established in the nineteenth century.