While in Philadelphia for a wedding recently we did some sightseeing and learning about America’s with stops at the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Rocky Statue etc. On Day #1 we did a quick walk, equipped with only an iPhone, and ran into the above statue of Ben Franklin and his printing press. Ben Franklin, an author and signee of the Declaration of Independence is considered one of the founders of America.
Franklin did more and was prolific in his accomplishments. Examples include being the country’s first postmaster general, inventing the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin/Pennsylvania stove and in 1732 publishing Poor Richard Almanac using the pseudonym of Richard Saunders". But he started as a printer's apprentice at the age of 12. Franklin worked on his education in both America and England. In 1721 Franklin founded the country's second newspaper, the New England Courant.
Franklin had published an essay; “The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency" in 1729. Its thesis made the point that silver and gold are not wealth, but rather the economy's value is a result of economic output and consumerism. However, America did not abandon the gold standard, the ability to exchange a dollar bill for a dollar of gold, until August 15, 1971. Where Franklin was awarded lucrative contracts to print money for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware it begs the question did Franklin have great foresight or was he just a good salesman?
Back to Ben Franklin the statue and a walk down memory lane. Having grown up in the printing business I texted the image to my brother. We had a laugh as we both had built our careers in the offset printing heyday and segued into other professions when progress shifted industry into digital printing. It was great to reminisce, but the experience helped enlighten me on printing’s role in American history.
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