Everything about The American Philosophical Society totally explained
The
American Philosophical Society is a discussion group founded in 1743 by
Benjamin Franklin as an offshoot of his earlier club, the
Junto. Through research grants, published journals, the upkeep of an extensive library, and regular meetings, the society continues to advance careful study in a wide variety of disciplines in the
humanities and the
sciences.
History of the Society
From the beginning, the Society attracted some of America's finest minds. Early members included
George Washington,
John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson,
Alexander Hamilton,
Thomas Paine,
David Rittenhouse,
Benjamin Rush,
James Madison,
Michael Hillegas, and
John Marshall. The Society also drew philosophers from other nations as members, including
Alexander von Humboldt, the
Marquis de Lafayette,
Baron von Steuben,
Tadeusz Kościuszko, and
Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova.
By
1746 the American Philosophical Society had lapsed into inactivity. In
1767, however, the Society was revived and united with the
American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge on January 2,
1769, adopting the name
"American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge" and electing
Benjamin Franklin as the first president of the group.
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After the end of the
American Revolution, the Society looked for
leadership to
Francis Hopkinson, one of the signatories of the
Declaration of Independence. Under his influence, the Society received land from the government of
Pennsylvania, along with a plot of land in
Philadelphia where Philosophical Hall now stands.
Illustrious names have continually added themselves to the APS's membership roster, showing the breadth and depth of the society's reach. People from such diverse interests and backgrounds as
Charles Darwin,
Robert Frost,
Louis Pasteur,
Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz,
John James Audubon,
Linus Pauling,
Margaret Mead,
Maria Mitchell, and
Thomas Edison became members of the Society. The Society continues to attract names of high renown today, with a current membership list (as of the April 2005 elections) of 920 members. There are 772 Resident members (citizens or residents of the United States) and 148 Foreign members representing more than two dozen countries.
Society awards
In 1786, the Society established the
Magellanic Premium, a prize for achievement in "navigation,
astronomy, or natural philosophy", the oldest scientific prize awarded by an American institution, which it still awards. Other awards include the
Barzun prize for cultural history,
Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation, the
Franklin medal, the
Lashley award for
neurobiology, the
Lewis award, and the
Jefferson medal for distinguished achievement in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
Society publications
The APS has published the
Transactions of the American Philosophical Society since 1771. Currently five issues appear each year. The
Proceedings have appeared since 1838: they publish the papers delivered at the biannual meetings of the Society. The Society has also published the collected papers of
Benjamin Franklin,
Joseph Henry,
William Penn, and
Lewis and Clark.
Further Information
Get more info on 'American Philosophical Society'.
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