Ben Franklin was a liar. #shorts

Fake news has been around a long time. For proof, look no further than the Fake News King himself, Benjamin Franklin.

Sources/further reading:

For business inquiries or to send snail mail to Mr. Beat:

Buy Mr. Beat merch:

Buy Mr. Beat's book:

How to support Mr. Beat:
“Free” ways to show support:
Subscribe to my channel
Turn on notifications
Like, share, and comment on my videos

Connect:

Mr. Beat favorites:

Recommended books:

Studio equipment:

Affiliate Links:

I use MagicLinks for all my ready-to-shop product links. Check it out here:
FTC Disclosure: This post or video contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.

The dude on the 100 dollar bill and well-known inventor, scientist, and writer, and most importantly statesman and diplomat during the American Revolution, was a printer and publisher before all of that. Yep, he was a successful newspaper editor and got rich publishing both the Pennsylvania Chronicle and Poor Richard’s Almanack.

Franklin was responsible for printing many hoaxes, pranks and satires over the course of his career in journalism. In fact, he faked his own resume to get his first printer job. He once made an entirely fake issue of a real Boston newspaper. In fact, the famous kite experiment Franklin conducted may also have been made up by him.

But in Franklin’s defense. Often he lied for a good cause.

One of his last hoaxes was writing a newspaper editorial arguing that Muslims should be allowed to enslave Christians. His point was to make fun of the hypocrisy of Christians justifying slavery.

Benjamin Franklin told them lies, told them sweet big lies.

[iammrbeat]

Should I make a longer video about Ben Franklin? Eh?

[MomentsInTrading]

Ben’s no good! Everyone give me all your $100 bills and I’ll properly dispose them!

[toontrooper]

He lied on his resume to get a job? He's more relatable than I thought.

[jackfreeman]

If Benjamin Franklin were to exist today, he could definitely get a job for The Onion.

[abeIincoIn]

I was wayy more honest than Ben ever was.

[jeremysmith]

I love that Poor Richard's Almanac could pretty much be restated as Broke Dick Calendar. Definitely wouldn't have sold to the same crowd, that's for sure.

[CristinaMarshal]

This makes me fall in deep fascination with his work, nothing like a tongue-in-cheek author, especially one in spite of himself

[GabrielGaming]

So Ben Franklin was essentially the equivalent to a modern internet troll

[evancoles]

I got clickbaited and I’m okay with that

[Token_Nerd]

I went into this video fearing that I'd lose respect for Ben Franklin...

...Came out respecting the man even more. Dudes fucking rock.

[LaxinPhilly]

Definitely do a piece on Franklin. So much good material between him and his son. But the story of Benjamin Franklin completely doing a 180 on slavery is probably my favorite one. Dude wasnt just *Oh I don't support it anymore" nah he joined abolitionist movements and became President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. He even petitioned Congress to "devise means for removing the Inconsistency from the Character of the American People.". He would die a few months later but even in his old age Franklin had no chill.

Always fighting for freedom, and worked to correct his errors. We could all learn something from Benjamin Franklin.

[abrahamlincoln]

Benjamin Franklin owned at least two slaves in his life despite being a staunch opponent of slavery.

[Mr.NigelThornberry]

Fun fact: they didn't let him write the declaration of independence because they thought he would put jokes in it

[qnkugsr]

Ben was the first famous troll in american history

[katiearbuckle]

He also wrote the best description of a Fart, I ever heard of ...because Townsends read it two years ago.

[theemperorofthecentury]

I Think You Should Do a Longer Video Adout Ben Franklin. I also Think your Should Do a Video Adout Forgotten Presidents because They are Increasingly obscure.

[EmmetTheFox]

I feel like a lot of people don't actually know anything Benjamin Franklin actually did. If you ask them who he was, most of the time people will probably just say the story of the kite, and that he was a founding father, but nothing really that much more than that.

[hottboy]

Ben was very fucking based calling out the hypocrisy of american christians with slaves

[LJ-qeuj]

So what you’re saying is Benjamin Franklin is an absolute legend and entirely justified on being on the $100 bill.

[proctoscopefilms]

More Ben Franklin! He and John Adams were hilarious in their time.