Jan 12

Jan 12 James Franklin's Press - The Education of Benjamin Franklin

James Franklin may have died almost forty years before the Revolutionary War began, but his effect on the establishment of the United States is twofold.

First, he created the first newspaper that spoke out against the colonial government, beginning a tradition of freedom of the press which carries on to this day.

Second, his trained his younger brother in the printing trade. This brother would go on to become the most successful printer in the British Colonies as well as one of the most important American Founders.

This brother’s name was Benjamin Franklin.

James Franklin

When James Franklin was 24, he took a trip to England.

Upon his return home to Boston, Franklin carried with him a printing press. The print shop he established was the second in North America.

James started The New England Courant which quickly began attacking the colonial government. When he essentially accused the government of being soft on piracy, Franklin was put in jail for several weeks.

During his absence, James’ younger brother and apprentice ran the shop.

Silence Dogood

Benjamin Franklin was just 16 years old when he took over the duties of printing a successful newspaper.

By this point, Benjamin and James had come through several disagreements. The most notable of which was that Benjamin wanted to write for the paper.

Although he was forbidden from contributing, the younger Franklin had secretly been submitting essays that tricked his older brother and received publication.

Benjamin used the pen name Silence Dogood which masqueraded as an old widow who hated corruption in government.

Influence

After James’ return from prison, Benjamin ran away from his apprenticeship.

The brothers had too many disagreements and by many accounts James was abusive toward the young Benjamin (an acceptable practice at the time).

Though Ben Franklin left his brothers service, he had learned how to run a print shop. Additionally, he carried with him his sibling’s healthy skepticism of people in power.

He would use these skills to create one of the most important and successful printing empires in American history.

Further Printing

As for James Franklin, he eventually moved to Rhode Island where the government was a bit more lenient with its newspaper publishers (and the colony as a whole was significantly less puritanical).

Unfortunately, James passed away at just 41 years old in 1738.

Luckily, he survived long enough to see his younger brother begin a successful career.

The last time the two men met, Benjamin stopped in Rhode Island for a visit. When he left, he carried off James’ oldest son who became the next Franklin in line to begin a printing apprenticeship.

Want more articles about BENJAMIN FRANKLIN?

Check out these fun stories:

Poor Richard’s Hoax - Making Ben Franklin Famous

The French Mourn Franklin - And Hilarity Ensues

5 Strange Facts About Benjamin Franklin

Although James Franklin does not have a biography of his own, he factors heavily into most works about Benjamin.

‘Young Benjamin Franklin’ recounts details about Benjamin’s early life and is a good source of info on James.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).