A Tale of Two Societies.

Shortly after the Stamp Act unrest in 1765, a group of Philadelphians revived the idea of Benjamin Franklin's famous "junto," a gathering of artisans and gentlemen interested in all aspects of natural philosophy. The American Society, as the new association was called, emphasized the application of science to economic improvement—agriculture, navigation, industry—in the American colonies. At about the same time another group in the same city proposed reviving the American Philosophical Society, which Franklin had founded in 1743 but which had languished in inactivity. Neither society had intended to compete with the other, but they soon found themselves rivals. Both aspired to become great scientific societies and were at the same stage of development. Each society embarked on aggressive membership drives, especially for political allies. The Philosophical Society courted Pennsylvania's executive faction, and when Gov...