Hey Cecil- boy did you screwup your spin on Franklin.
First, no one ever claimed that Poor Richards Almanac contained groundbreaking philosophy. Its impact was financial and cultural: it was the second largest selling book in the colonies (after The Bible.) That book was the Harry Potter of 18th century America.
Second, he sought and received a royal appointment to run the colonial postal service, because he saw that an efficient post was essential to colonial business and politics. His oversight created a communications network that ultimately worked against the king. This impact is comparable to the internet in this century.
Third, he is easily one of the key founding fathers. As one of the richest and most famous men in the colonies, he led many hesitant rebels into what was arguably a lost cause. As a member of the Continental Congress, his mature and practical views were critical in the initial management of the revolution. As a diplomat, he was a political genius in gaining France’s financial and then military support, without which we never would have beat England. And as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, he was the revered old man that helped keep the factions focused on compromise (he proposed the dual House/ Senate form of representation.)
Washington was the father of our country. You could say that Franklin was the grandfather of our country.
David Bossert
Chicago