why is Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill?
Diplomat, inventor, founding father, orator, activist…all of these terms describe the brilliant man who was Benjamin Franklin. He was not only instrumental in the Second Continental Congress in securing the votes to adopt the Declaration of Independence (thus declaring open war against Britain), but he also used his diplomatic skills to help ensure our victory in that war. I would easily argue he is one of the top three most important historical figures in American history (perhaps only in league with Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). So I don’t think we should deny him the honor of being plastered on our currency just because he was too smart to take on the job of president. 🙂 And techinically other founding fathers are on some other bills. Thomas Jefferson is on both the Nickel and the $2 bill. And the $2 bill (in some versions) also features a portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence…so technically a good number of founding fathers made it onto money that
Ben Franklin’s personal ideas about economy helped to shape our country’s economy. We are lucky that they did because Franklin believed that the only true way to wealth was through hard work. This noble idea became the soul of the “American Dream,” the idea that all people are created equal and each person has the same opportunity to achieve success. Ben used his printing skills to print paper money, helping to establish the paper currency system in America. Today, we honor Ben’s contribution to the economy every time we use a $100 bill: Ben’s face appears on it. What I can’t figure out is why Grant is on the fifty. Sources: http://www.fi.edu/franklin/economst/economst.
It might have something to do with the fact that Franklin printed colonial notes using nature prints like leaves to prevent counterfeiting. I’m sure the treasury department is fond of people like that. Sources: http://www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney/main.
