Benjamin Franklin

Originally Aired: May 18, 1938 Cavalcade of America #135, "Benjamin Franklin," the episode traces the remarkable journey of America's first citizen from rebellious youth to celebrated printer and publisher. The story opens in 1722 Boston, where sixteen-year-old Benjamin, working as an apprentice in his brother James's print shop, secretly authors witty letters under the pseudonym "Silence Doogood." When Benjamin reveals himself as the mysterious author whose writings have captivated the town, his tyrannical brother responds with violence, driving the young man to declare he will one day have his own newspaper that everyone will want to read. The narrative jumps forward to find twenty-six-year-old Franklin in Philadelphia, now a successful printer whose Poor Richard's Almanac has made him the most widely read writer in the colonies. Working alongside his wife Deborah, Franklin receives a visitor named Frank Pierce who has traveled from the Carolinas seeking to learn the printing trade. The episode portrays Franklin's transformation from beaten apprentice to prosperous entrepreneur, showcasing the very independence and aversion to arbitrary power that his brother's harsh treatment instilled in him.