THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE CULTURE OF FRIENDSHIP
ADISON GODFREY
SPRING 2016
A thesis
submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements
for baccalaureate degrees
in English and Spanish
with honors in English
Reviewed and approved* by the following:
Carla Mulford
Associate Professor of English
Thesis Supervisor
Xiaoye You
Associate Professor of English
Honors Adviser
* Signatures are on file in the Schreyer Honors College.
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ABSTRACT
The prevailing scholarship on eighteenth-century men’s friendship has tended to focus on
friendship’s emotional aspect. However, singling out emotion does little to advance the study of
men’s friendship during this era. Instead, it is fruitful to analyze how such mutual affection
functioned within the context of friendship, revealing that men were able to turn their affections
to the advantage of society. Men acted benevolently towards one another, revealing a kindness
and a loyalty often born of personal feelings. Through mutual support, men advanced in social
ranks and gained greater influence. For Benjamin Franklin and other members of the Junto, the
club he formed for mutual improvement, this upward mobility maximized the amount of people
they could reach and the good that they could do. My study of Benjamin Franklin and the culture
of friendship shows that intimacy was not the be all and end all of men’s friendship during the
eighteenth century. Rather, emotional ties among men served as a vehicle for enhancing society
and benefiting all of humankind. Four qualities of character appear frequently in Franklin’s
outward-directed friendships—curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and civic-mindedness—and it is
with an eye to these qualities that I situate my study of men’s friendship, concluding my study
with an analysis of how these qualities are still relevant in today’s age of global leadership.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iv
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
Eighteenth-Century Men’s Friendship ......................................................................... 4
Benjamin Franklin and Qualities of Character ............................................................ 7
Curiosity ........................................................................................................................... 7
Integrity ............................................................................................................................ 10
Benevolence ..................................................................................................................... 12
Civic-mindedness ............................................................................................................. 17
Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 21
NOTES ......................................................................................................................... 27
WORKS CONSULTED .............................................................................................. 33
ACADEMIC VITA ...................................................................................................... 36
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Joseph Breintnall and Benjamin Franklin, “Nature Prints of Leaves” (Philadelphia, ca.
1740), Library Company of Philadelphia, used with permission. .................................... 16
Figure 2. Benjamin Franklin, “Proposals and Queries to be Asked the Junto,” vol. 119, Ferdinand
Julius Dreer collection [0175], Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with thanks for
permission to use here. ..................................................................................................... 20
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend the warmest of thanks to the following people and institutions for
their generous support in the writing of this thesis. First and foremost, to Carla Mulford, thank
you for serving as my mentor since day one and for your wisdom and guidance throughout the
writing process. I couldn’t have written my thesis without you. To Elizabeth Jenkins, thank you
for always giving me spot-on advice and for helping me find my way. I owe you a million
thanks, but hopefully this one will suffice. To the Rodney A. Erickson Discovery Grant Program,
thank you for providing me with monetary support to conduct research that became the basis for
my thesis. It was wonderful to have gotten a head start, something I did not fully appreciate until
this year. To the Center for American Literary Studies, thank you for awarding me a CURIAS
Grant to conduct archival research at the Library Company of Philadelphia. Seeing and handling
Franklin’s primary source materials was an enriching experience. To HEAL, Relay For Life of
Penn State, and the Penn State Dance Marathon, thank you for giving me insight into the
qualities that make a good leader (and for providing me with ways to give back). And finally, to
my family and friends, thank you, thank you, thank you for your endless support and
encouragement. I love you all.
1
Introduction
No better relation than a prudent & faithful Friend.
The noblest question in the world is What Good may I do in it?
-Poor Richard, 17371
Benjamin Franklin valued friendship for the good that it could do, both for the men involved and
for society as a whole. By studying eighteenth-century men’s friendship through the lens of
Benjamin Franklin, we can examine an aspect of mutual aid that could enrich men’s careers and
elevate their class standing; moreover, men’s friendships led to the creation of many public
projects and institutions that benefited the greater public good. My study differs from the
existing work on eighteenth-century men’s friendship. Leading scholars have tended to focus on
friendship’s emotional side. In doing so, they have missed the professional realm that men’s
friendships inhabited as well as the concrete societal benefits that developed from them. While
men’s friendships did involve an aspect of intimacy, a Franklin-centric study of the culture of
men’s friendship during the eighteenth century reveals some of its more tangible characteristics
that are still applicable today. In particular, my study of friendship has revealed four qualities of
character that Franklin valued in the men he befriended: curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and
civic-mindedness.
2
How has friendship between men been studied by scholars? Some historians have tended
to misconstrue eighteenth-century men’s friendships as homosexual when in fact they were
homosocial. Modern readers tend to draw the same conclusions when exposed to these men’s
letters and other writings.2 However, while scholars have worked to change this prevailing view
of men’s friendship, their focus has largely remained centered on the emotional aspects of
friendship and the nature of such intimacy. By examining the culture of men’s friendship through
a study of Benjamin Franklin, I aim to take the scholarship one step further. To be clear, I am not
refuting the fact that there was an aspect of intimacy involved in men’s friendships; on the
contrary, I agree with leading scholars on this point. However, making intimacy the primary
focus of a study on men’s friendship during the eighteenth century is limited. It does not make
sense to separate out emotion from mental and workplace occupation. When studying how
mutual affection functioned within the context of Franklin’s friendships, it becomes apparent that
emotional ties among men heavily influenced this realm. Men’s friendship was therefore able to
go beyond what has heretofore been described, in a way that not only benefited the men involved
but also benefited all of humankind.
I will begin by laying the conceptual groundwork for my study of the culture of men’s
friendship, detailing the ways in which eighteenth-century men’s friendship has been depicted by
several scholars. I will go on to define the four qualities of character that I have found to be
particularly important in men’s friendship through my study of Benjamin Franklin—curiosity,
integrity, benevolence, and civic-mindedness—and demonstrate how my study of friendship in
light of these qualities communicates with (and moves beyond) prevailing depictions of men’s
friendship. I will discuss the ways in which Franklin himself depicted eighteenth-century men’s
friendship in his Autobiography, which contains many anecdotes about friendship and how
3
mutually beneficial it can be. My analysis of these qualities of character will also demonstrate
how they enabled men’s friendly associations to extend beyond the men involved in order to
benefit society at large. In particular, I will show Franklin’s admiration and promotion of these
qualities among members of the Junto in order to lead to the creation of various public projects,
making public use of private bonds. I will conclude with a discussion of the ways in which my
study of Franklin and eighteenth-century men’s friendship is still relevant today. My aim is that
my study produces a new finding about the American past while also attempting to make a point
about today’s age of global leadership, highlighting the qualities of character that might fruitfully
be instilled in future global leaders.
4
Eighteenth-Century Men’s Friendship
Breaking free from the intimacy-centered view of men’s friendship does not mean
discounting the role of emotion and intimacy completely. Emotion and intimacy were factors in
eighteenth-century men’s friendships, which served to further knowledge and promote virtue
among men. During the eighteenth century, associations were formed for the purpose of sharing
and furthering knowledge and invention; likewise, there was a prominent focus on morality, and
many men’s societies and clubs were also dedicated to promoting virtue among their
membership. Particularly during the creation of the new republic, emotion and intimacy played
key roles in the development of virtuous citizens. One scholar, Richard Godbeer, elucidates this
moral nature of the new republic, showing how fraternal love became a vehicle for sustaining
virtuous citizens.3 Men’s friendship was able to prompt a greater sense of civic-mindedness, thus
extending beyond individual men through larger fraternal organizations. However, scholars have
frequently overlooked the far-reaching effects of such civic-mindedness. When prompted
through men’s friendship, both the knowledge and virtue that characterized the eighteenth
century led to concrete advances and the creation of many public projects that benefited the
greater public good.
While men’s friendship was able to extend beyond individuals in order to improve
societal conditions, it was also able to enrich men’s careers and elevate their class standing. In
this way, men’s friendship impacted the very fabric of society during the eighteenth century,
influencing the social, professional, and political realms. However, the influence of men’s
5
friendships in the professional realm has been largely overshadowed in scholarship by the focus
on intimacy. Indeed, when it has been addressed, it has predominantly been depicted negatively.
For example, one scholar suggests that men’s bonds of affection were actually dangerous when
applied to issues of a professional nature. He questions the virtue of men’s friendship, asserting
that men could call upon the loyalties and obligations of friends to promote ends of “cynical selfadvancement.”4 While it is clear that men’s friendship enabled them to enrich their careers and
elevate their class standing, these benefits were not necessarily sought after. Such benefits were
often the result of the mutually beneficial nature of friendship, an important aspect of eighteenthcentury men’s friendship that I will tease out through my study.
The assistance that men’s friendship provided can largely be attributed to the eighteenthcentury Enlightenment. The eighteenth century was more society-minded than individualminded, placing an emphasis on mutual social aid rather than personal benefits. An
Enlightenment thinker, Benjamin Franklin was the epitome of a society-minded individual,
active in social, professional, intellectual, and political circles. An analysis of friendship with
Franklin as its focus therefore lends insight into how men’s friendship influenced these various
realms to promote the greater public good. He founded the Junto, a club for mutual improvement
that was dedicated to furthering knowledge and promoting virtue among its members. Through
the Junto, Franklin elicited a greater sense of civic-mindedness among men, triggering the
creation of many public projects and institutions for the betterment of society. Franklin is
therefore at the cusp of the change that men’s friendship underwent in the eighteenth century.
Public displays of affection, previously used to create bonds of friendship and affirm group
solidarity, began to diminish as friendship became more private.5 However, other public uses of
private affection emerged, evident in Franklin’s outward-directed friendships.
6
Four qualities of character that were demonstrated by the men Franklin befriended—and
that mark men’s friendship during the eighteenth century—are curiosity, integrity, benevolence,
and civic-mindedness. These are qualities that Franklin sought and respected among his friends
and himself endeavored to encourage. Intellectual curiosity was valued as it was linked to the
Enlightenment focus on furthering knowledge, particularly in regards to scientific matters.
Similarly, integrity was valued as it was linked to the Enlightenment focus on virtue and
morality. Benevolence and civic-mindedness overlap. Benevolence is tied to the mutually
beneficial aspect of men’s friendship and the ways affection prompted an inclination to help one
another. This disposition to do good is also evidenced by civic-mindedness, or thinking about
and acting in ways that led to the betterment of society. Central to my study of Benjamin
Franklin, each quality serves to illuminate an important aspect of the culture of men’s friendship
during the eighteenth century.
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Benjamin Franklin and Qualities of Character
As I examine outward-directed friendships in the eighteenth century, I will discuss
curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and civic-mindedness as four qualities of character that mark
Benjamin Franklin’s friendships of this nature. All four are Enlightenment characteristics, a way
in which Franklin’s valuation of these qualities—as well as much of his personal ideology—
likely stemmed from this intellectual movement.
Curiosity
Intellectual curiosity is a quality of character that drove the wealth of knowledge and
innovation that emerged during the eighteenth century. For his part, Benjamin Franklin
possessed a natural curiosity about the world around him. He asked questions about a broad
range of topics, from electricity to illness to ocean currents. These questions appear in Franklin’s
extensive correspondence, as he did not keep them to himself. In a letter to John Lining on April
14, 1757, Franklin discusses heat and cold, though he cannot account for all of the phenomena
surrounding the subject. He asks, “Whence arises the sudden extraordinary Degree of Cold,
perceptible on mixing some Chymical Liquors, and even on mixing Salt and Snow, where the
Composition appears colder than the coldest of the Ingredients?”6 He then writes his own ideas
on the subject, though he adds, “I doubt whether in all this I have talked intelligibly; and indeed
how should a Man do so, that does not himself clearly understand the Thing he talks of.”7
Franklin shared his questions and musings with others, entering into a dialogue with those
individuals who shared his curious nature. Among these individuals were men whom Franklin
considered his dearest friends, some of whom sparked Franklin’s curiosity and subsequently
influenced his professional career.
Franklin’s friendships abroad were able to enrich his career by strengthening his
reputation and providing him with a wide audience for his work. Shortly after Franklin had first
witnessed experiments on the properties of static electricity, Peter Collinson, a friend and fellow
scientist, sent Franklin a glass tube used to generate static electricity and instructions on how to
use it. Of this gift, Franklin wrote to Collinson that he “never was before engaged in any study
that so totally engrossed [his] attention and [his] time.”8 This gift prompted the electrical
experiments for which Franklin is perhaps best known, and he shared his findings with
Collinson. Collinson, in turn, shared these letters with the Royal Society in London, and they
later were published as Franklin’s Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751). Jacques
Barbeu-Dubourg translated Franklin’s work into French, aiding in its circulation and
strengthening Franklin’s philosophical reputation overseas. Jean-Baptiste Le Roy and
Giambatista Beccaria defended and spread Franklin’s ideas on electricity when they were under
attack by Abbé Nollet, a French clergyman and physicist. During this time, there was a debate
over the nature of “electric fluid” and whether one fluid was sufficient to explain attraction and
repulsion or if two fluids were necessary. Franklin had a theory that there was one fluid but two
states (positive and negative); Abbé Nollet supported the two-fluid theory. As Franklin’s theory
gained popularity, Nollet published his Lettres sur l’Électricité (1753), attacking Franklin’s
ideas. Nollet was met with public backlash, much of which came from men Franklin had
8
9
befriended. Friendship and curiosity enabled Franklin to gain entry into scientific societies and
connect with men who shared his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Moreover, Franklin’s
various friendships overseas contributed to the circulation of his work and influenced his
professional career.
Franklin was also able to help his friends in a similar manner. For example, Franklin
encouraged Joseph Priestley to publish his History and Present State of Electricity (1767) and
helped to circulate it, enabling Priestley to build connections that later provided an audience for
his work on chemistry. The way in which this type of circulation propelled Franklin’s career, as
well as the careers of friends such as Priestley, demonstrates a professional nature of the benefits
of friendship—benefits that were driven by intellectual curiosity and the Enlightenment
emphasis on knowledge and scientific thought. However, curiosity influenced more than men’s
careers. As Jeanne E. Abrams has remarked, “Scientific curiosity that emphasized observation
and experimentation, coupled with pragmatic benevolence, drove Franklin’s work in disease
prevention, health care, and the broader subject of medicine.”9 Active in the medical field as well
as countless others, Franklin’s curiosity motivated him to undertake research and scientific
experiments on medicine, illness, and how the human body functions. As a printer, Franklin was
then able to disseminate his findings and those of other men—notably, close friends John Pringle
and Cadwallader Colden—in order to educate the American public, an enriching effect of
Franklin’s natural curiosity.
10
Integrity
Integrity, or the quality of being honest and morally upright, was also highly valued by
Franklin. The word “integrity” appears in an exorbitant number of Franklin’s letters to and from
others. This quality is mentioned in many appeals. For example, friends frequently wrote to
Franklin asking for letters of introduction. In his letters of introduction, Franklin often highlights
the man’s integrity. In a letter to Thomas Wolrich on August 1, 1774, Franklin writes that
Jonathon Williams requested to be re-introduced. He discusses Williams’s reputation: “He has
been ever since you saw him, settled in Business in America as a Merchant, and acquits himself
with Reputation for his Industry, Integrity, Punctuality and Correctness.”10 Integrity is one of the
qualities Franklin calls attention to in order to recommend Williams to Wolrich’s civilities.
Similarly, Franklin writes many letters to his son, William Franklin, recommending men to his
friendship. One such man was Reverend Mr. Coombe, whom Franklin wrote was “a young
Gentleman of great Merit, Integrity, and Abilities. He has acquir’d the Esteem of all that knew
him here, not as an excellent Preacher only, but as practising the Morality he preaches.”11
Integrity, more than any other quality of character, appears in letters of this sort. It is a quality
that men prided themselves on possessing, and both senders and recipients of Franklin’s
correspondence seemed to recognize the value of displaying this quality.
Franklin’s valuation of integrity is also revealed throughout the Autobiography. His quest
to achieve moral perfection by acquiring the habitudes of thirteen virtues—temperance, silence,
order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility,
chastity, and humility—elucidates the importance of moral uprightness. He shares his
methodology with readers as well as an account of his own fallibility with regards to acquiring
11
the virtue of order, to encourage readers to employ his method in order to improve themselves.
While he recognizes that moral perfection may be unattainable, he still seeks to instill these
virtues in readers. He states that, even if they fall short of such perfection, they will be better for
trying.12 Moreover, Franklin explicitly discusses the value of integrity throughout the
Autobiography. Recollecting wrongs that had been done to him as well as wrongs that he had
done to others, he writes, “I grew convinc’d that Truth, Sincerity, & Integrity in Dealings
between Man & Man, were of the utmost Importance to the Felicity of Life, and I form’d written
Resolutions … to practise them ever while I lived.”13 After detailing his method of achieving
moral perfection, Franklin goes on to discuss his aspiration to “convince young Persons that no
Qualities were so likely to make a poor Man’s Fortune as those of Probity & Integrity.”14
Because Franklin wrote the Autobiography as if he were writing to a friend, employing a casual
and conversational prose, integrity is revealed to be a quality that he hoped for in himself and in
his friends.
An Enlightenment quality, integrity was not only valued by Franklin. This quality of
character was also valued by Franklin’s friends, and they considered him to possess it. One
example of this is seen in the publication of the Autobiography itself, as Franklin had doubted
whether he should finish writing it. In a letter to Franklin from January 31, 1783, Benjamin
Vaughan urges Franklin to complete his autobiography. In his letter, Vaughan discusses the
reasons why men’s friendship is so important. After giving a few of these reasons, he asserts that
Franklin’s life story would help men better themselves:
But these, Sir, are small reasons in my opinion, compared with the chance which your life
will give for the forming of future great men; and in conjunction with your Art of
12
Virtue, (which you design to publish) of improving the features of private character, and
consequently of aiding all happiness both public and domestic.15
Vaughan goes on to state that Franklin’s autobiography would be able to instill virtue in men by
allowing them to realize that such virtue is attainable regardless of humble origins. In a letter
from Franklin to Vaughan from October 24, 1788, Franklin reveals that he is working on his
autobiography, attributing this activity to Vaughan’s letter from five years prior: “I am …
dilligently employed in writing the History of my Life, to the doing of which the persuasions
contained in your letter of January 31, 1783, have not a little contributed.”16 Without Vaughan,
the Autobiography would likely never have been completed, let alone published. It seems that the
reason for its completion and eventual publication is largely due to Vaughan’s letter, where
Vaughan calls upon Franklin’s integrity in order to persuade him to continue writing. This
anecdote therefore not only reveals how integrity was valued by Franklin but also how it was
valued among his friends and influenced the professional realm.
Benevolence
While integrity and moral uprightness were highly valued in the eighteenth century—by
Franklin and by society—Franklin does comment in the Autobiography that it might actually be
better for a man to have faults than to achieve moral perfection. He states, “A benevolent man
should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance.”17 This quotation
provides insight into Franklin’s own views on eighteenth-century men’s friendship while also
13
bringing us to another quality of character that he valued in his friends: benevolence.
Benevolence, the disposition or desire to do good, manifests itself in a variety of ways. In terms
of eighteenth-century men’s friendships, two ways of particular significance are through mutual
aid and intellectual altruism.
Throughout the Autobiography, Franklin shares his failings in the professional realm and
the ways in which his friendships provided him with the necessary assistance to move forward.
One of Franklin’s first failings of this nature was when he broke his indenture to his brother,
James. The House had ordered James to no longer print his paper, the New-England Courant, so
he decided to print it under Franklin’s name instead. Franklin’s old indenture was returned to
him so the claim could not be made that James was still printing the paper by his apprentice, and
Franklin was to sign private indentures for the remainder of the term. However, Franklin left
before the new indentures could be signed. When his brother discovered this, he ensured that
Franklin would not be able to find employment in any of the other local printing houses. Franklin
did not know what to do. He writes:
I then thought of going to New York as the nearest Place where there was a Printer: and I
was the rather inclin’d to leave Boston, when I reflected that I had already made my self a
little obnoxious, to the governing Party; & from the arbitrary Proceedings of the
Assembly in my Brother’s Case it was likely that I might if I stay’d soon bring my self
into Scrapes.18
Seeing his predicament, Franklin’s friend Collins “therefore undertook to manage a little for
[him].”19 He secured Franklin passage on a sloop headed for New York, where he was able to
find work. Such anecdotes illustrate benevolence, as these men selflessly aspired to help one
another.
14
Another of Franklin’s failings was going into business with Hugh Meredith. Upon
Franklin’s return to Philadelphia and the death of Mr. Denham, Keimer had hired Franklin to
take the management of his printing-house. There, Franklin met Meredith, a Welsh
Pennsylvanian who worked at the press. Keimer’s intent was to have Franklin train the other men
in their work, then let Franklin go since the other men were cheaper labor. However, Meredith
did not want to stay on with Keimer if Franklin were to leave. They entered into an agreement
that they would become partners when Meredith’s contract with Keimer expired. Meredith’s
father furnished them with the supplies they needed to set up their own printing-house.
Unfortunately, Meredith proved to be an alcoholic and a poor pressman, and the success of their
business lay largely upon Franklin. William Coleman and Robert Grace, two of Franklin’s
friends and members of the Junto, advanced him the money to settle with Meredith’s father and
take the whole of the business upon himself. In this way, Franklin’s friendship with Coleman and
Grace allowed him to dissolve his failing partnership and find success as a printer.
Franklin’s success as a printer can also be attributed to Andrew Hamilton. In the
Autobiography, Franklin’s account of Hamilton’s assistance demonstrates how benevolence was
also linked to mutual aid. Prior to the dissolution of Franklin’s partnership with Meredith,
Hamilton had convinced the House to name Franklin and Meredith their printers for the ensuing
year. Once Franklin had taken the business upon himself, Hamilton further ensured Franklin’s
success by securing him the job of printing the Newcastle paper money, laws, and votes.
However, it is important to note that Franklin’s friendship with Hamilton was not one-sided, an
idea that he points to himself in the Autobiography. Franklin had first befriended Hamilton by
acquainting him with a letter that contained a scheme against him, information that proved of
great service. Franklin had acted out of good will towards Hamilton—though, he admits, feelings
15
of ill-will towards those behind the scheme also played a role. His motivations underscore the
ways in which loyalty can stem from personal feelings. This instance of benevolence began a
friendship that, in Franklin’s own words, served “greatly to [his] Advantage afterwards on many
Occasions.”20
Joseph Breintnall, one of the original members of the Junto, demonstrates another
instance of benevolence through his own contribution to Franklin’s success as a printer. In the
Autobiography, Franklin writes that Breintnall had secured Meredith and him the job of printing
forty pages of the Quakers’ history. Though it is not explicitly mentioned, this was William
Sewel’s History of the… Quakers, Franklin and Meredith’s first major printing job, published in
1728.21 Moreover, Breintnall was helpful in other ways. He taught Franklin the leaf-printing
technique that Franklin used to print money and ensure that the community could not easily
counterfeit paper bills (see fig. 1). Here, benevolence appears in the form of intellectual altruism,
a practice that Franklin adhered to. He did not patent the Franklin stove because he believed that
all of humankind should be able to benefit from it, as the chief purpose of an invention should be
to serve others:
Governor Thomas was so pleas’d with the Construction of this Stove, as described in [the
pamphlet], that he offer’d to give me a Patent for the sole Vending of them for a Term of
Years; but I declin’d it from a Principle which has ever weigh’d with me on such
Occasions, viz. That as we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of others, we
should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we
should do freely and generously.22
Even more so than Franklin’s friendship with Hamilton, Franklin’s friendship with Breintnall
also speaks to the ways in which friendship and benevolence provided men with an aspect of
16
mutual aid. While Breintnall helped Franklin at the beginning of his career, later in life, Franklin
was able to return the favor. Having endeavored to become a Freemason, Breintnall’s aspiration
was realized on August 5, 1734, thanks to Franklin’s backing.23 Freemasonry encouraged
benevolence among its members, perhaps a reason why Franklin supported Breintnall’s
endeavor. Freemasonry’s “cultivation of unity, brotherly love, and benevolence… [prompted]
men to do their duty in society.”24
Figure 1. Joseph Breintnall and Benjamin Franklin, “Nature Prints of Leaves” (Philadelphia, ca. 1740), Library
Company of Philadelphia, used with permission.
17
Civic-mindedness
These anecdotes of benevolence—particularly that of Breintnall’s leaf-printing and
Franklin’s stove—are also closely related to the quality of civic-mindedness. This is a quality
that Franklin valued and encouraged in the men he befriended. In prompting a greater sense of
civic-mindedness in the men he had friendly associations with, Franklin fostered many projects
that served the greater public good. Perhaps the most abundant wealth of evidence to support this
claim is found in a study of the Junto, the club for mutual improvement that Franklin founded in
1727. Of the Junto, Franklin writes that it was the best school of philosophy, morality, and
politics that then existed in the province, and one would be hard-pressed to prove him wrong.
However, perhaps most importantly, the members of the Junto were fundamentally concerned
with their ability to do good. As J. A. Leo Lemay writes, “By the time the Junto expired in 1765,
it had touched and improved nearly every life in Philadelphia.”25
While members of the Junto were of great service to Franklin himself, evident in the way
Coleman, Grace, and Breintnall each helped him with his printing business, they also proved to
be of great service to society at large. An embodiment of Franklin’s belief that men were able to
achieve far greater things together than they could apart, Franklin had intended this societyminded focus in the club’s creation. The club’s name itself illuminates this goal, as scholar I.
Bernard Cohen points out: “the name junto suggests a common purpose, coming from the Latin
juncta (joined together), and is well-known from the saying juncta juvant, ‘joined together, they
assist.’”26 While many men’s clubs and societies during the eighteenth century were simply built
on the premise of fellowship, others, like the Junto, were specialized. From the start, the Junto
18
was committed not only to self-improvement and helping one another, but also to philosophical
investigation and the betterment of society.
Franklin used the Junto as a sounding board for his plans to create Philadelphia’s
institutions, and these institutions—the library, the hospital, the academy, and the scientific
society—would not have been possible without the civic-mindedness of friends whom Franklin
drew upon to establish these organizations. The quality of civic-mindedness among members of
the Junto is evident in their instrumentality in the creation and continuance of these public
projects. To name a few, of the ten original members of the Junto, William Maugridge was a
founding member of the Library Company; William Parsons served as a director and librarian of
the Library Company, a member of the Union Fire Company, and a member of the American
Philosophical Society; and William Coleman, Jr., was the first treasurer of the Library Company,
treasurer of the American Philosophical Society, and one of the first directors of the Philadelphia
Contributionship (the insurance company Franklin founded). Of the later additions to the club,
Thomas Hopkinson was an original Library Company director, original trustee of the
Philadelphia Academy, member of the Union Fire Company, and president of the American
Philosophical Society; Hugh Roberts was an original Library Company director, member of the
Union Fire Company, director of the Philadelphia Contributionship, and a supporter and director
of the Pennsylvania Hospital; and Philip Syng was an original Library Company director,
supporter and trustee of the Philadelphia Academy, director of the Philadelphia Contributionship,
and supporter of the militia association.27
To focus the Junto’s meetings, Franklin had a list of questions that were to be reviewed
before each meeting was underway (see fig. 2). Many of these questions were intended to
promote virtue and civic-mindedness, such as “Do you think of anything at present, in which the
19
Junto may be serviceable to mankind?” and “Do you know any fellow citizen, who has lately
done a worthy action, deserving of praise and imitation? Or who has committed an error proper
for us to be warned against and avoid?”28 These goals were at the heart of the Junto, encouraging
members to think of how they could better serve humankind. Aside from such questions that
prompted members to think about the creation of public projects and new laws to serve the
public good, Franklin used the Junto as a sounding board for many of his own civic and political
ideas. He proposed an early version of the lending library in the Junto and later enlisted the help
of Junto members in creating the Library Company. It was in the Junto that he first proposed his
ideas for a fire company, an insurance company, and a defense association. All of these projects
were designed to benefit society, and all of these projects were made possible because of the
assistance provided by members of the Junto. Franklin valued and instilled civic-mindedness
among the members of the Junto, and this quality allowed private bonds of friendship to be put to
public use.
20
Figure 2. Benjamin Franklin, “Proposals and Queries to be Asked the Junto,” vol. 119, Ferdinand Julius Dreer collection
[0175], Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with thanks for permission to use here.
21
Conclusion
Curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and civic-mindedness were integral to the culture of
men’s friendship during the eighteenth century. Studying men’s friendship during this era
through the lens of Benjamin Franklin, and especially with an eye to emulable qualities of
character, reveals that men’s friendship was built on more than intimacy and emotion. Men
looked for these traits in their friends, and the mutual aid that these traits inspired went on to
enrich men’s careers and elevate their class status. Furthermore, leaders such as Benjamin
Franklin sought to instill these qualities in all of humankind, part of Franklin’s motivation for
writing the Autobiography. While it is most apparent with the quality of civic-mindedness, all of
these qualities served to better society. Curiosity led to the acquisition of knowledge, which in
turn led to new inventions and advances that were able to improve society and its conditions.
Integrity prompted men to act honestly and morally in dealings with one another and to attempt
to better themselves. Benevolence led men to help one another, causing many to move from one
class to the next and gain a favorable reputation that they were then able to turn to society’s
advantage. And finally, civic-mindedness encouraged men to think of what good they could do,
driving the creation of many social projects designed to serve the greater public good.
My study reveals the importance of looking at eighteenth-century men’s friendship as
creating the ability to do good, rather than simply looking at eighteenth-century men’s friendship
as emotional bonds. Franklin truly believed in man’s ability to make the world a better place, and
he believed in the power of friendship when it came to doing so. Moreover, Franklin was a
global leader. He was an active member of Congress’s Committee of Correspondence,
22
attempting to rally international support for the American cause. He engaged Britain in
negotiations to put a stop to the war. He was not only a founding father of the United States, but
he also served as the first minister plenipotentiary to France. Largely due to his friendships
overseas and the qualities of curiosity and benevolence, his writings and ideas were translated
and circulated around the world. In today’s age of global leadership, it would be wise to heed
Franklin’s example. We should instill these characteristics in our future leaders and endeavor to
model them ourselves.
As my study of Franklin illuminates qualities of character that Franklin valued in his
outward-directed friendships, it is able to move beyond eighteenth-century scholarship. A global
leader, Franklin’s valuation of these qualities—curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and civicmindedness—makes a point about global leadership today and the qualities we should look to
instill in our future global leaders. Many other leaders and leadership studies have already come
to this conclusion. Richard C. Levin, former president of Yale University, called upon Franklin
and many of the qualities he embodied during his 2002 freshman address. He hailed Yale as a
university where the professors and scholars are international leaders in their respective fields. In
keeping with this impressive tradition, Levin urged freshmen to emulate many of the traits that
Franklin possessed. The very first trait he discussed was Franklin’s curiosity, followed not far
behind by Franklin’s commitment to public service. He concluded his address by telling students
what he hoped they would accomplish during their time at Yale: “to give free reign to [their]
curiosity… and to prepare [themselves], not only for lives of personal satisfaction and
professional achievement, but also for service to others.”29 One of the country’s most prestigious
universities, Yale seeks to foster many of these same qualities in their students and future
leaders.
23
Many leadership studies have also highlighted the desirability of integrity among global
leaders. Allen Morrison defines integrity as “having and demonstrating a strong commitment to
personal morals and company standards.”30 Christian J. Resick, Paul J. Hanges, Marcus W.
Dickson, and Jacqueline K. Mitchelson write that integrity “entails the ability to both determine,
as well as engage in, morally correct behavior regardless of external pressures.”31 This emphasis
on personal morals recalls the eighteenth-century focus on moral uprightness as well as
Franklin’s own ideology. Global and ethical leadership are therefore closely linked, and
rightfully so. Ethical leadership requires that an individual respect those whom he or she leads,
and respect of other cultures is fundamental when it comes to global leadership. In addition to
morals, Franklin discussed the importance of upholding truth and sincerity in dealings with
others, an aspect of integrity that also factors into global and ethical leadership through its ability
to produce a sense of leader trustworthiness. For these reasons, scholars contend that
demonstrating integrity is critical for an individual to lead effectively and persuade others to
share in his or her vision, a claim supported by a study of Benjamin Franklin.32
Finally, Franklin’s commitment to good works and public service has almost universal
relevance. Many public figures and global leaders exhibit traits of benevolence and civicmindedness. An echo of Franklin, Oprah Winfrey is perhaps the most notable example. Like
Franklin’s, Winfrey’s story is also one of rags to riches, and she has similarly turned her present
fortune to the betterment of society. She has used her talk show and magazine as a platform for
calling attention to women’s and civil rights issues in much the same way that Franklin used his
newspaper. She founded the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which provides grants to non-profit
organizations; the Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, a school that provides
educational opportunities to gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds; the Oprah Winfrey
24
Operating Foundation, which funds the Leadership Academy for Girls; and the Angel Network,
which provides grants to non-profit organizations committed to making a difference in the world,
particularly those that work to improve conditions for women and children in underserved
communities. Moreover, Winfrey provides a present-day example of the ways in which
friendship can create the ability to do good. The Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa
emerged from Winfrey’s friendship with Nelson Mandela, a claim that Winfrey maintains
herself. During a discussion about poverty and education, Winfrey confided to Mandela that she
would like to build a school in South Africa one day. Mandela arranged a meeting with the
education minister that very evening to begin putting Winfrey’s vision into action.33
Bill Gates is another global figure who possesses the characteristics of benevolence and
civic-mindedness. He and his wife, Melinda Gates, founded the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation in 2000; in 2008, Bill Gates left Microsoft to work full-time at the foundation.34 The
foundation is centered on four program areas. Its website states:
Our Global Development Division works to help the world’s poorest people lift
themselves out of hunger and poverty. Our Global Health Division aims to harness
advances in sciences and technology to save lives in developing countries. Our United
States Division works to improve U.S. high school and postsecondary education and
support vulnerable children and families in Washington State. And our Global Policy &
Advocacy Division seeks to build strategic relationships and promote policies that will
help advance our work.35
Many of these areas are ones that Franklin focused on as well. He shared his rags-to-riches story
in the Autobiography in the hopes that readers would be able to lift themselves out of poverty by
following his example. He was at the forefront of advances in science and technology during the
25
eighteenth century; his curiosity and benevolence drove his work in the fields of healthcare and
medicine; he co-founded the Pennsylvania Hospital. He was involved in the field of education as
founder of the Philadelphia Academy (which is now the University of Pennsylvania), founder of
America’s first successful lending library (the Library Company of Philadelphia), and an early
proponent of “Education for… young Females.”36 Lastly, Franklin also built strategic
relationships through the men that he befriended, allowing him to advance his own work in the
implementation and betterment of public institutions. In many ways, Gates appears to be
carrying on Franklin’s legacy—and, like Franklin, Gates recognizes the importance of instilling
the characteristic of civic-mindedness in future global leaders. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation endowed the Gates Cambridge Scholarship program, which awards scholarships to
students outside the UK to pursue postgraduate degrees at the University of Cambridge. The goal
of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship program is to “build a global network of future leaders
committed to improving the lives of others.”37
Moreover, Franklin’s ideas have also been adapted in tangible ways to produce effective
leaders. One global company, FranklinCovey, draws upon Franklin’s personal ideology to
generate performance improvement. FranklinCovey markets the Franklin Day Planner, a
planning system that is modeled after Benjamin Franklin’s method of attaining moral perfection.
Franklin’s precept of order required that “every Part of [his] Business should have its allotted
Time.” To see to this, Franklin kept a small book in which he planned each day, beginning with a
morning question—“What Good shall I do this Day?”—and concluding with an evening
question—“What Good have I done to day?”—that demonstrate his disposition to do good.38
Since time management is an important skill for a leader to possess, FranklinCovey derived their
system from Franklin to help individuals better manage their time. In addition, FranklinCovey
26
operates on the premise that better people make better leaders. Much as Franklin had specified
thirteen virtues that he wished to acquire, FranklinCovey targets seven areas—leadership,
execution, productivity, trust, sales performance, customer loyalty, and education—and aims to
bring about a “change in human behavior.”39 FranklinCovey is a perfect example of a company
that has taken Franklin’s ideology and applied it to today’s age of global leadership, and other
companies should do the same.
In conclusion, my study of Benjamin Franklin and the culture of eighteenth-century
men’s friendship produces a new finding about men’s friendship during this time. While bonds
of affection benefited the men involved by enriching their professional careers, such friendships
also benefited the greater public good. Franklin’s friendships were extensive and their effects farreaching. A man of humble origins, Franklin achieved great influence thanks to these
friendships, and he used his influence to serve all of humankind. This commitment to public
service is what we should hold future global leaders to, and the qualities that marked Franklin’s
friendships—curiosity, integrity, benevolence, and civic-mindedness—are the qualities that we
should strive to encourage among future leaders. To quote one of FranklinCovey’s foundational
beliefs, “Leadership is a choice, built inside out on a foundation of character.”40
27
NOTES
__________________________
1
These quotations come from Poor Richard’s Almanac, a yearly almanac published by Benjamin
Franklin under the pseudonym Poor Richard. Benjamin Franklin and J. A. Leo Lemay, “Poor
Richard’s Almanack,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings (New York: Library of America, 1987),
1205-1206.
2
Richard Godbeer writes in The Overflowing of Friendship: Love Between Men and the
Creation of the American Republic (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009) that he is
often met with questions about the sexual orientation of these men due to declarations of love in
their writings. He discusses how “the paradigm of sexual orientation—which first emerged in the
late nineteenth century, took hold in the early twentieth century, and still dominates Western
society’s understanding of how people are drawn to one another—teaches us that romantic
feelings generally go hand in hand with sexual attraction” (3). He goes on to discredit this
modern assumption, discussing how early Americans’ attitudes towards love, sexual desire, and
gender differed significantly from ours. Similarly, Alan Bray attempts to debunk readings of
friendship in which historians project homoerotic desires onto these men in The Friend
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003).
3
Godbeer, “Chapter Five: The Overflowing of Friendship,” The Overflowing of Friendship, 155-
92.
4
Bray, The Friend, 125.
28
5
Bray discusses the role of public uses of private affection in chapter four of The Friend. The
uses he explores are tied to notions of intimacy, such as public displays of affection and the ways
in which these displays could be turned to the recipient’s advantage. Bray posits that such uses
were a benefit of friendship that extended beyond the men involved to affect the social good, as
they were able to profit both the giver and the receiver, affirm the solidarity of a group, and
strengthen society by creating bonds of friendship rather than simply indicating them. He admits
that, during the eighteenth century, friendship became more private and such public uses were
not as apparent. My study of Franklin, however, shows that other public uses of private affection
began to manifest.
6
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Leonard W. Labaree, et al. (New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 1959–), 7:184-190, quotation on 189.
7
Ibid., 190.
8
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 3:115-119, quotation on 118-119.
9
Jeanne E. Abrams, “Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father of American Medicine,”
Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers and Mothers in Sickness and in Health (New
York University Press, 2013), 79.
10
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 21:267.
29
11
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 19:56.
12
Franklin states, “tho’ I never arrived at the Perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but
fell far short of it, yet I was by the Endeavor made a better and a happier Man than I otherwise
should have been, if I had not attempted it; As those who aim at perfect Writing by imitating the
engraved Copies, tho’ they never reach the wish’d for Excellence of those Copies, their Hand is
mended by the Endeavor, and is tolerable while it continues fair & legible.” Benjamin Franklin
and J. A. Leo Lemay, “The Autobiography,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings (New York: Library
of America, 1987), 1391.
13
Ibid., 1359.
14
After a discussion of his method for achieving moral perfection in the Autobiography, Franklin
writes, “In this Piece it was my Design to explain and enforce this Doctrine, that vicious Actions
are not hurtful because they are forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful, the Nature of
Man alone consider’d: That it was therefore every ones Interest to be virtuous, who wish’d to be
happy even in this World. And I should from this Circumstance, there being always in the World
a Number of rich Merchants, Nobility, States and Princes, who have need of honest Instruments
for the Management of their Affairs, and such being so rare, have endeavored to convince young
Persons, that no Qualities were so likely to make a poor Man’s Fortune as those of Probity &
Integrity.” Ibid., 1392.
30
15
Ibid., 1374-9, quotation on 1374.
16
Benjamin Franklin, The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 9, ed. Albert Henry Smyth (New
York: Haskell House Publishers, Ltd., 1970), 675-677, quotation on 675.
17
Franklin and Lemay, “The Autobiography,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings, 1305-469.
18
Ibid., 1325.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid., 1344-45.
21
J. A. Leo Lemay, “Chapter 14: The JUNTO,” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1
(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), 334.
22
Franklin and Lemay, “The Autobiography,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings, 1417-8.
23
Lemay, “Chapter 14: The JUNTO,” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1, 334.
24
Godbeer, The Overflowing of Friendship, 187.
25
Lemay, “Chapter 14: The JUNTO,” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1, 356.
31
26
Lemay quotes I. Bernard Cohen in chapter fourteen of The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1,
337-8.
27
A more complete list can be found in Chapter 14 of Lemay’s The Life of Benjamin Franklin,
Vol. 1, 334-7.
28
Ibid., 341.
29
Richard C. Levin, “Freshman Address: Welcome to Yale,” Yale Office of Public Affairs &
Communications (Yale University, 30 August 2002), accessed November 28, 2015,
<http://communications.yale.edu/president/speeches/2002/08/30/freshman-address-welcomeyale>.
30
Allen Morrison, “Integrity and Global Leadership,” Journal of Business Ethics 31.1 (2001):
66.
31
Christian J. Resick, et al., “A Cross-cultural Examination of the Endorsement of Ethical
Leadership,” Journal of Business Ethics 63.4 (2006): 346.
32
Ibid., 346–7.
33
32
Stephanie Palumbo, “Meet the Graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for
Girls,” Oprah (Harpo Productions Inc., April 2012), accessed November 29, 2015,
<http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Winfrey-Leadership-Academy-for-Girls-GraduationPhotos>.
34
“Who We Are: History,” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, 2015), accessed January 29, 2016, <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-WeAre/General-Information/History>.
35
“What We Do,” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
2015), accessed January 29, 2016, <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do>.
36
Franklin and Lemay, “The Autobiography,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings, 1399.
37
“About,” Gates Cambridge (Gates Cambridge, 2015), accessed January 29, 2016,
<https://www.gatescambridge.org/about>.
38
Franklin and Lemay, “The Autobiography,” Benjamin Franklin: Writings, 1389.
39
“Company History,” FranklinCovey (FranklinCovey Co., 2016), accessed January 24, 2016,
<http://www.franklincovey.com/about/>.
40
Ibid.
33
WORKS CONSULTED
“About.” Gates Cambridge. Gates Cambridge, 2015. Accessed January 29, 2016.
<https://www.gatescambridge.org/about>.
Abrams, Jeanne E. “Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father of American Medicine.”
Revolutionary Medicine: The Founding Fathers and Mothers in Sickness and in
Health. New York: New York University Press, 2013. 79–118.
Beeman, Richard R., and Amy Gutmann. “Benjamin Franklin and the American
Enlightenment.” The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Penn Reading Project
Edition. Edited by Peter Conn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
2005. 145–149.
Bray, Alan. The Friend. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
“Company History.” FranklinCovey. FranklinCovey Co., 2016. Accessed January 24,
2016. <http://www.franklincovey.com/about/>.
Franklin, Benjamin. The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 9. Edited by Albert Henry
Smyth. New York: Haskell House Publishers, Ltd., 1970.
Franklin, Benjamin, and J. A. Leo Lemay. “The Autobiography.” Benjamin Franklin:
Writings. New York: Library of America, 1987. 1305-469.
Franklin, Benjamin, and J. A. Leo Lemay. “Poor Richard’s Almanack.” Benjamin
Franklin: Writings. New York: Library of America, 1987. 1181-304.
Godbeer, Richard. The Overflowing of Friendship: Love Between Men and the Creation
of the American Republic. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.
34
Labaree, Leonard W. “Benjamin Franklin’s British Friendships.” Proceedings of the
American Philosophical Society 108.5 (1964): 423-28.
Lemay, J. A. Leo. “Chapter 14: The JUNTO.” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 1.
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013. 332-56.
Levin, Richard C. “Freshman Address: Welcome to Yale.” Yale Office of Public Affairs
& Communications. Yale University, 30 August 2002. Accessed November 28,
2015. <http://communications.yale.edu/president/speeches/2002/08/30/freshmanaddress-welcome-yale>.
Morrison, Allen. “Integrity and Global Leadership.” Journal of Business Ethics 31.1
(2001): 65–76.
Palumbo, Stephanie. “Meet the Graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for
Girls.” Oprah. Harpo Productions Inc., April 2012. Accessed November 29, 2015.
<http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Winfrey-Leadership-Academy-for-GirlsGraduation-Photos>.
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin. Edited by Leonard W. Labaree, et al. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1959–.
Resick, Christian J. et al. “A Cross-cultural Examination of the Endorsement of Ethical
Leadership.” Journal of Business Ethics 63.4 (2006): 345–359.
Stout, Harry S. “George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin: Thoughts on a Peculiar
Friendship.” Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society 103 (1991): 923.
“What We Do.” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
2015. Accessed January 29, 2016. <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-
35
Do>.
“Who We Are: History.” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, 2015. Accessed January 29, 2016.
<http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/General-Information/History>.
ACADEMIC VITA
Adison Godfrey
[email protected]
EDUCATION
Schreyer Honors College, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Class of Spring 2016
Bachelor of Arts with honors in English
Concentrations in Literary and Cultural Studies and Rhetoric and Writing
Bachelor of Arts in Spanish
Paterno Fellows Program, College of the Liberal Arts
Honors program including advanced academic coursework, thesis, study abroad and/or internship,
ethics study, and leadership/service commitment
Thesis Title: Benjamin Franklin and the Culture of Friendship
Thesis Supervisor: Carla Mulford
WORK EXPERIENCE
Comparative Literature Studies (CLS), University Park, PA
CLS Editorial Intern
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Found reviewers for books and communicated with scholars worldwide
Managed publication contracts and used publication software to log information
Read and accepted/denied book review submissions based on adherence to CLS guidelines
Supervisor: Irenae Aigbedion
Center for American Literary Studies (CALS), University Park, PA
CALS Undergraduate Intern
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Wrote articles for the CALS website and a book review for WPSU’s BookMark
and the Centre Daily Times
Assisted with hosting symposia and the Centre County Reads/CALS Community Read
Partook in the planning and execution of the inaugural conference for C19
Supervisor: Sean Goudie
Pennsylvania State University Libraries, University Park, PA
Staff Assistant for the Department of Library Learning Services
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Maintained multiple book displays and implemented book removal projects
Used online programs to provide record maintenance for the Leisure Reading collection
Advised on outreach programming, including student engagement activities and marketing efforts
Supervisor: Megan Gilpin
Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher
Summer 2015
Co-taught a sheltered Language Arts class three days a week (15 hours total)
Worked with university students at beginning and pre-intermediate levels of English proficiency
Created lesson plans that integrated content and language objectives under the guidance of a mentor
teacher
Supervisor: Paul Badenhorst
Pennsylvania State University Libraries, University Park, PA
Bednar Undergraduate Intern for the Department of Library Learning Services
Fall 2014 – Spring 2015
Increased awareness of library resources through a variety of written communications
Promoted student engagement with library resources and initiatives
Aided in the care of the Leisure Reading collection
Supervisor: Megan Gilpin
Pennsylvania State University Department of Sociology and Criminology, University Park, PA
Teaching Assistant to Laurie Scheuble (SOC 001)
Fall 2014
Kept two office hours per week to individually tutor students
Organized and ran review sessions prior to the three exams
Assisted with writing quizzes/exams and grading papers for ~100 students
Supervisor: Laurie Scheuble
Pennsylvania State University Department of English, University Park, PA
Research Intern to Carla Mulford
Fall 2013 – Fall 2014
Assisted with research for a book on Benjamin Franklin
Catalogued Franklin’s scientific correspondence and mapped his spheres of influence
Undertook close historical reading of primary source documents and scholarly articles
Supervisor: Carla Mulford
AWARDS AND HONORS
The Evan Pugh Scholar (Senior) Award for academic excellence, top 0.5% of senior class
Rick Funk Dance Marathon Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to the Penn
State Dance Marathon
Gerard A. Hauser Award for best presentation of undergraduate research at the 2015 Undergraduate
Exhibition
Erik Steindl Award for academic excellence in Spanish and contributions to the community
The Evan Pugh Scholar (Junior) Award for academic excellence, top 0.5% of junior class
John W. White Award for outstanding achievement and proficiency in Spanish
The President Sparks Award for academic excellence, 4.0 GPA based on at least 36 graded Penn State
credits
The President’s Freshman Award for academic excellence, 4.0 GPA based on at least 12 graded Penn State
credits
Grants Received: Rodney A. Erickson Discovery Grant, CALS Undergraduate Research in the Archives
Scholars (CURIAS) Grant, Liberal Arts Enrichment Grants, and Schreyer Ambassador Travel Grants
Professional Memberships: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Publications: Review of Karen Abbott’s Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy published in the Centre Daily Times
and review of Michael T. Fournier’s Swing State published in Rain Taxi
Certificates: Pennsylvania ESL Program Specialist Teaching Certificate and College of the Liberal Arts
Excellence in Communication Certificate
Presentations: Presented at Penn State’s 2015 Undergraduate Exhibition
LEADERSHIP/SERVICE COMMITMENT
Relay For Life of Penn State
Administrative Overall
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Implemented a new inventory system and oversaw logistics for Relay Weekend
Served as treasurer and monitored the total throughout Relay Weekend to prepare for reveal
Created the master Relay Weekend timeline and planned Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Led Administrative Committee, ran weekly meetings and delegated responsibilities
Mission Overall
Fall 2014 – Spring 2015
Oversaw events and initiatives to raise awareness of different types of cancer
Served as a liaison to the American Cancer Society
Planned Opening and Fight Back Ceremonies
Led Mission Committee, ran weekly meetings and delegated responsibilities
Mission Captain
Fall 2013 – Spring 2014
Planned and executed monthly events to raise awareness
Selected inspirational stories/videos to be shared with ~100 volunteers each week
Managed lap dedications during Relay Weekend
HEAL, Special Interest Organization Benefiting the Penn State Dance Marathon
Alternative Fundraising Chair
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Planned, registered, and handled proceeds from all alternative fundraisers
Organized letter writing campaigns for solicitations and secured corporate donations
Led general members in holding fundraisers, ran Leadership Committee meetings as needed
Completed post-fundraiser reports
Family Relations Chair
Spring 2014 – Spring 2015
Provided emotional support to two Four Diamonds Families
Facilitated relationships between general members and Four Diamonds Families
Led Family Relations Subcommittee, ran meetings to plan and brainstorm as needed
Completed biweekly reports and attended Adopt-a-Family workshops
Philanthropy Chair
Fall 2013 – Spring 2014
Served as Relay For Life team captain, headed fundraising efforts
Organized a Toys for Tots drive
Formed a team for Centre County’s Out of the Darkness community walk
Penn State Dance Marathon
Dancer Relations Committee Member
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016
Assisted with planning for the health, safety, and enjoyment of all 700+ dancers
Supported one specific dancer physically and emotionally throughout THON
Weekend
Special Events Committee Member
Fall 2012 – Spring 2015
Assisted with planning and executing the THON 5K, Family Carnival, and
Road to THON Celebration
Career Pathways Program, University Park, PA
Literacy Corps Tutor
Tutored two adult English language learners from Mexico as part of ENGL 202H
course (three hours per week)
Penn State Learning, University Park, PA
Writing Tutor
Tutored one English language learner from Kuwait as part of APLNG 250 course
(one hour per week)
Intensive English Communication Program, University Park, PA
English Language Tutor
Tutored two English language learners, one from Saudi Arabia and one from China,
as part of APLNG 484 course (one hour per week)
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
Spring 2015
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Pennsylvania State University Teaching ESL Certificate Program, Cuenca, Ecuador
Completed fifteen credits in applied linguistics and world language education
Studied Kichwa, an indigenous language, three days a week
Lived with a local family and undertook a cultural exploration project on special
education/inclusion
Obtained ESL Program Specialist Teaching Certificate
Summer 2015
CIEE Summer Language and Culture Program, Seville, Spain
Summer 2014
Completed a course on Spanish Skills in Context: Podcast Reporting
Expanded global perspective and participated in an Intercultural Comparative Experience
Immersed self in Spanish culture by living with a local family
Language Proficiency: Proficient in Spanish