ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – Episode 3: Industry

Podcast: ON CRISPR: The Story of Jennifer Doudna with Walter Isaacson
Host: iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
Guests: Walter Isaacson (biographer), Evan Ratliff (co-host)
Released: September 12, 2024

Overview

This episode delves into Benjamin Franklin’s evolution from a struggling apprentice to America’s first media mogul, and how his relentless drive, business cunning, and civic vision shaped his identity—and by extension, the nation. Walter Isaacson and Evan Ratliff chart Franklin’s rise as a printer, publisher, and postmaster, exploring how his business practices, ethics, and innovations became inseparable from the development of American democracy and the ideal of a robust middle class. Key themes include the intersection of industry and civic life, the tension between competition and community, and how Franklin's early entrepreneurial endeavors planted seeds for the American character.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Franklin's Defense of Free Speech and Printing Ethics

• Free Speech Roots (02:52): Isaacson compares Franklin’s era to current debates over free speech, such as Elon Musk’s stance on Twitter (now X). Franklin, as a young printer, wrote “Apology for Printers,” arguing all voices should be allowed, warning that letting printers censor would limit argument to a single perspective.
  • Quote: “If truth and falsity have fair play, then truth will win out.” – Walter Isaacson (paraphrasing Franklin) [03:31]
  • Franklin later realized lies can travel farther than truth, referencing a saying from Poor Richard.
• Personal Ethics: Franklin refused to print malicious content just for profit, famously testing if he could live on bread and water, deciding “it was better to be proud of what I did.” [04:27]

The Philadelphia Print Shop – Ambition and Innovation

• Franklin Arrives in Philadelphia (06:08): Young and nearly penniless, Franklin starts as an apprentice and soon outshines his employer, Samuel Keemer, due to sheer ambition and social savvy.
• Governor Keith’s Broken Promises (07:00): Franklin’s lesson in resilience and forgiveness: after being tricked with empty promises of printing equipment, he considers Keith’s failure a foible rather than villainy.
  • Quote: “He wished to please everybody, Franklin later said of Keith, and having little to give, he gave expectations.” – Evan Ratliff [07:13]
• Business Acumen and Humor:
  • Recognizes recurring products (almanacs) are key to financial success since “people buy a Bible once, but an almanac every year.” [07:55]
  • Franklin's wit set his publications apart—his lively newspapers and satirical battles with rivals made his media more desirable. [08:31]
  • First to publish a novel in America (“Pamela”), illustrating his knack for knowing what would sell.
  • Created a "best of" almanac (The Way to Wealth), maximizing his intellectual property. [09:33]

Distribution Battles and Early Media Monopolies

• Newspaper Wars and Postal Monopolies (10:06): Franklin’s main rival, Andrew Bradford, was postmaster and could privilege his own papers for distribution. Franklin campaigned for open access, eventually becoming postmaster himself.
  • “[Franklin] says, I’m going to create an open system.” – Walter Isaacson [10:49]
• Relevance Today: Tussles between Franklin and Bradford anticipated modern debates over net neutrality and platform access. [11:39]
• Franklin’s Take on Intellectual Property: He refused to patent inventions or copyright writings, believing in building upon prior wisdom for the collective good. “[Franklin] was not a strong believer in the type of intellectual property we would call copyrights or trademarks or patents.” – Walter Isaacson [12:15]

The Leather Apron Club (Junto) and Middle-Class Values

• Formation and Purpose (13:52): Franklin founds the “Leather Apron Club” to unite tradesmen and artisans—a middle-class association, not for elites. He believed American civic life would be driven by the middle, the “we the middling people.”
  • “That was the heart of who we were going to be as a nation.” – Walter Isaacson [19:46]
• Balancing Civic Good and Self-Interest: Franklin and his club blend mutual aid, civic improvement, and business networking.
  • Quote: “One of the Poor Richard Almanac sayings is about doing well by doing good. And this describes Franklin… he wants to do civic good, but he also knows you can profit by it.” – Walter Isaacson [21:07]
• Innovations via Association: Franklin’s club sparks America’s first lending library, volunteer fire company, and even neighborhood militias, introducing ideas of communal benefit and social self-improvement. [22:19]

The Power of Association and the Democratic Spirit

• Franklin’s Legacy in American Communities:
  • Franklin supported lending libraries, seeing education and self-betterment as key to a mobile, informed middle class. [24:27]
  • Pushed ideas anonymously to let them grow (“it’s amazing how much you can get done if you aren’t interested in taking the credit for it.”) [27:09]
  • Navigated rivalries and built networks by encouraging discussion and playing the “PR man” while sometimes hiding his influence. [27:35]
• Conflict Resolution and Popularity: Franklin resolved many disputes via indirect discussion, but this could also be perceived as evasive, even making enemies among collaborators. John Adams called him “insinuating.” [28:51]

Franklin as Media Tycoon and National Connector

• Owning Content and Distribution (35:13): Franklin’s media vision—control both content (newspapers, almanacs) and distribution (postmaster, print shop franchises).
  • “If you own the content, you own the distribution system, if you have franchises… that becomes the path to make him the most successful self-made business person in America. So it becomes the first great media empire.” – Walter Isaacson [35:13]
• Building a Mailing Network: As Deputy Postmaster, Franklin standardized and unified colonial postal routes, giving him a unique perspective and a hand in fostering a sense of inter-colonial American unity. [36:14, 37:15]

The First Political Cartoon – Symbol of Unity

• ‘Join, or Die’ (38:38):
  • In 1754, Franklin publishes America’s first editorial cartoon: a segmented snake labeled with the colonies and the caption “Join, or Die.” It’s a clarion call for unity during the French and Indian War—later a revolutionary symbol.
  • “That was the first editorial cartoon ever published in America. Ben Franklin wants the colonies to join together in some loose union…” – Walter Isaacson [39:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Free Speech:
  • “If you let the printer decide which would be in or out, you’d only hear the opinion of printers.” – Walter Isaacson (paraphrasing Franklin), [03:07]
• On Leadership by Example:
  • “To try to determine whether I’d publish it or not, I purchased this, a small piece of bread… and realized that I could live that way if I had to. And it was better to be proud of what I did.” – [04:25]
• On Civic Duty & Middle-Class Power:
  • “Market street middle class values was the heart of who we were going to be as a nation” – [19:46]
• On Civic Associations:
  • “He who drinks alone, let him catch his horse alone… it’s not easy to catch a runaway horse unless you have friends helping you.” – Franklin (explained by Isaacson) [23:10]
• On Influence:
  • “It’s amazing how much you can get done if you aren’t interested in taking the credit for it.” – [27:09]
• On Distribution advantage:
  • “He realizes, just as the cable titans of today realize… that becomes the path to make him the most successful self-made business person in America.” – [35:13]
• On Intercolonial Unity:
  • “He would take tours up and down the colonies… it allowed him to see the colonies as potentially one unified country.” – [37:15]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Franklin’s Defense of Free Speech & Print Ethics: [02:52–04:41]
• Early Career & Lessons in Disappointment: [06:08–07:27]
• Launching the Almanac & Business Innovation: [07:55–09:44]
• Postal Monopoly Battles, Platform Openness: [10:06–11:59]
• Intellectual Property & Inventions: [12:15–13:30]
• Leather Apron Club & Civic Associations: [13:52–14:26, 19:32–22:19]
• Public Library, Educational Vision: [24:22–26:53]
• Anonymity in Civic Leadership: [27:09–27:51]
• Conflict and Disputation in the Junto: [28:51–29:47]
• Expanding the Print and Postal Network: [35:06–37:00]
• First Political Cartoon ‘Join, or Die’: [38:38–39:39]

Episode Tone & Style

The dialogue is lively, narrative-driven, and full of anecdotal color—reflecting Isaacson’s signature knack for turning historical detail into modern insight. Franklin is presented with warmth and wit, his complexities and contradictions openly discussed. Parallels are drawn between colonial America and contemporary tech, media, and civic life, making this history feel urgent and relevant.

Summary

This episode paints Franklin as both a quintessential self-made man and as a civic innovator whose actions set the groundwork for America’s robust middle class and participatory society. From defending a free press, to using shrewd business tactics, to launching the first lending library and fire department, Franklin’s story in this “industry” phase illustrates his belief that doing well and doing good can—and should—go hand in hand. His approaches to competition, association, and public service resonate in today’s debates about fairness, access, and the balance between individual ambition and collective well-being.