39 - Benjamin Franklin (PA)

#39 - Benjamin Franklin (PA)
Birthplace: Boston, MA
Age at Convention: 81

1) Religion
-- Suggested that "hence forth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business" on June 28 while the Constitutional Convention was in disarray.
-- Made a motion at the Convention to bring in a clergyman to pray for their deliberations
-- Said "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men"

2) Slavery
-- 1st President of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery
-- First committed himself to abolishing slavery in 1730s
-- Final public act was signing of a memorial to Congress to recommend the end of the slavery system

3) Upbringing
-- 10th son of a soap & candlemaker
-- Primarily self-taught, did receive some formal education

References:
1) http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/delegates/franklin.html
2) http://www.adherents.com/people/pf/Benjamin_Franklin.html

Running tabulation:
1) Religiously Active (12) or Primarily Secular (5)
2) Abolitionist (8), Partial Abolitionist (6) or Non-Abolitionist (3)
3) Wealthy (5) or Middle-Class/Poor (12)