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The American Philosophical Society
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Benjamin Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in 1743. It was an intellectual society whose members were interested in developing useful innovations in science, anthropology, transportation, and farming. Some of the society's more famous members included George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Rush, Charles Darwin, Madame Curie, Albert Einstein, many presidents, and more than two hundred Nobel prize winners.
So many respected people were members that the American Philosophical Society was considered the main scientific institution in America in the early 1800s. It was the society that, together with the federal government, sponsored Lewis and Clark's Expedition and it is now the home of the original journals that Lewis and Clark kept of their journey. The society, especially under the direction of Thomas Jefferson, was also known for its dedication to investigating Native or First American languages, customs, and history. Not all of the society's activities, however, were serious business. It is said that the renowned portrait artist Charles Wilson Peale, a member of the society, and his wife asked the society to come up with a name for their fifth son when they couldn't make up their minds. The society took a vote and decided, not surprisingly, on Franklin.
At first, the society had no official building and had to hold its meetings all over Philadelphia—even in Benjamin Franklin's home. However in 1789, Philosophical Hall, just next to Independence Hall, became the society's permanent home. Due to a lack of funding, the society had to rent out rooms in the hall and Charles Wilson Peale's famous museum was one of its early tenants.
Today, the American Philosophical Society has expanded into three buildings: Philosophical Hall, the Society's headquarters; Library Hall; and Benjamin Franklin Hall. The society's library is still a major national center for research and has several amazing collections of papers. In addition to the Lewis and Clark journals, they have more than two hundred original letters and documents written by Thomas Jefferson, including his draft of the Declaration of Independence, and the majority of Benjamin Franklin's papers.
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The Society held its first meeting in Philosophical Hall on November 20, 1789.
The American Philosophical Society |
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The American Philosophical Society has had its headquarters in the same building since 1789. |
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See the opening page of a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the American Philosophical Society describing the bones of an unkown animal that were discovered in a cave in Virginia. |
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The American Philosophical Society
Explore the official Web site of the American Philosophical Society
Benjamin Franklin
Visit a site devoted to Benjamin Franklin, the founder of the American Philosophical Society.
American Philosophical Society at Wikipedia
Use this entry in Wikipedia to link to biographies of some of the first members of the American Philosophical Society.
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The American Philosophical Society
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