Ben Franklin: Chess Can Make You A Better Person?

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See att.com.samsung for details. This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories. The show where America is the star and the American people. Our next story is about one remarkable American. Born the son of a Boston candle maker, Benjamin Franklin grew into the symbolic role of the archetypal American.

He was indeed a blend of poor Richard and Leonardo da Vinci. Franklin has the distinction of many firsts. He invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the catheter. Chess.com also reminds us that Franklin was also the first known chess player as well as the first chess author in America. Here again to tell us the story is the Jack Miller Center's editorial officer and historian, Elliot Trago.

Let's take a listen. Entrepreneur, philosopher, scientist, inventor, and writer. We ought to add chess master to the list of Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments. His essay, Morals of Chess, combines his timeless wit, inherent competitiveness, and shrewd strategy that also speaks to the fragile yet boundless potential of America's founding principles. Originally written and presented to Franklin's small cadre of fellow intellectuals in the 1730s, Morals of Chess would not be released for public consumption until 1786.

Much had occurred over the course of that half century. In 1732, Franklin released the first poor Richard's almanac, an immensely successful guide full of practical advice and witticisms for American colonists. In 1751, he helped found the educational institution that became the University of Pennsylvania, and throughout the 1750s and 1760s, he served as the Postmaster General for the Crown, and eventually an agent for the colonies representing American interests in Great Britain. And of course, by 1776, Franklin and his fellow colonists began, and would eventually win, a war of liberation from Great Britain. As the colony's most recognizable figure, Franklin's influence became essential to the American cause, especially when he was sent to France as America's first ambassador in 1776. Franklin's convivial nature combined with his diplomatic acumen made him the toast of Paris as he regaled salons with tales, practical wisdom, and Americanisms.

And while battlefield realities back in America certainly compelled France to support the American cause, Franklin's soft diplomacy and charismatic force of personality helped cement the Franco-American alliance. Besides power politics and being playful with his French admirers, Franklin spent much of his five years in France playing chess. While reviewing his personal papers for potential publication in 1779, Franklin came across Morals of Chess, which at this point was now over 40 years old. Scholars believe that aside from retrieving the material for publication, Franklin was motivated to find this essay due to his indulgence, possibly overindulgence, in playing chess with the Parisian elite.

These games became epic battles that lasted four hours or more, limited solely by the number of candles available to the combatants. Franklin's monomaniacal focus made him oblivious to anything outside the checkered board. Franklin established edifying purposes of the essay, and one could argue the game itself. By writing in the first sentence, the game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. To Franklin, chess instructed individual conduct and, if played in the proper manner, would teach players four key virtues, foresight, circumspection, caution, and quote, the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change, and that of persevering in the search of resources.

Calling chess a beneficial amusement, he outlined eight tips so players could pass the time agreeably, including observing the rules of the game with fidelity, remaining patient while your opponents plot their next move, and for spectators, observing the most perfect silence to allow for concentration. However, Franklin's four key lessons, foresight, circumspection, caution, and perseverance, speak as much to the game of chess as to the political and moral responsibilities of the players on and off the chessboard. In a larger sense, Franklin's lessons speak to Americans across time and space. Living in what Americans then and now described as a revolutionary era required foresight.

The Republican spirit and experiment can only be sustained by those who consider the consequences that may attend an action. Circumspection necessitated a keen observance of the scene of action, those relations between chess pieces akin to the various social factions of the American body politic. Yet Americans must move with caution, for if you touch a piece, you must move it somewhere.

If you set it down, you must let it stand. In other words, Americans must avoid haste to prevent mistakes, and steal their resolve once they have made a fateful decision. Finally, Franklin reminds players that supposed insurmountable difficulties ought not exhaust the player nor precipitate in attention or despair. This powerful idea of a perseverance seeded with hope reflects striving to form a more perfect union. Franklin urges us to remember that momentary setbacks are precisely that, momentary, and therefore liable to change if Americans are empowered to cherish those founding principles that inspired the creation of the Republic. On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in 1789, American socialite and political commentator Elizabeth Willing Powell approached Franklin as he left the hall. She asked him, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy? As always, Franklin gave her a memorable reply, a republic, if you can keep it. Through their foresight, circumspection, caution, and perseverance, Americans attuned to their nation's civic needs perpetuated this republic, the United States of America, by emulating the virtues of Franklin's morals of chess.

To learn more, visit JackMillerCenter.org. The story of Ben Franklin's morals of chess, here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories from our big cities and small towns.

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Go to OurAmericanStories.com and give. Welcome to 500 Greatest Songs, a podcast based on Rolling Stone's hugely popular, influential, and sometimes controversial list. I'm Brittany Spanos.

And I'm Rob Sheffield. We're here to shed light on the greatest songs ever made and discover what makes them so great. From classics like Fleetwood Mac's Dreams to the Ronettes, Be My Baby, and modern day classics like The Killer's Mr. Brightside.

Listen to Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready to celebrate International Women's Day? M&M's and iHeart present Women Take the Mic, sharing empowering stories of women supporting and celebrating each other. And of course, there is a smooth and creamy companion for your listening pleasure, peanut butter M&M's. Because they're just another way to help treat yourself in situations where you deserve a little added delight, like listening to your favorite podcast. So savor the deliciousness of peanut butter M&M's and spread some positivity. From breaking glass ceilings to dominating in sports and entertainment, women truly are unstoppable.