Benjamin Franklin Quotes
It is much to be lamented that a man of Franklin's general good character and great influence should have been an unbeliever in Christianity, and also have done as much as he did to make others unbelievers.
The debate was on the concept of a National Fast Day. Thomas Jefferson, who rarely spoke or debated made an exception and strongly opposed the proposal of which Adams was a prime supporter. Jefferson carried the motion but Adams had sharply rebuked Jefferson’s lack of piety to the degree that he feared that he had insulted and angered Jefferson with whom he agreed on most issues. Jefferson, however, appeared not to be insulted at all, and after the debate took the chair next to Adams. The incident was the subject of a famous letter from Benjamin Rush to Adams years later. It is not clear whether Jefferson was being particularly magnanimous and forgiving or as some suspect did not regard being accused of a lack of religiosity as an insult at all. Later, of course, the two became major political enemies, and then became friends after they both were out of politics.
Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A polymath, he was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania.
