Benjamin Franklin: Bravery, Deism, and the Youthful Pursuit of Independence. Richard Munson's biography emphasizes the complexity and bravery of Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706. A key event occurred in 1762 when Governor John Penn rushed to Franklin's home, needing his help to stop the homicidal Paxton Boys mob, who had massacred Native Americans and were marching on Philadelphia. Franklin, then 56, responded with great bravery and rode out to face down the mob, succeeding in talking them down. Franklin came from the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony but did not attend church, preferring reading to sermons. He believed he would be judged by his good works and described his religious affiliation as a deist, which connected with his scientific mindset. Franklin's early life was marked by a pursuit of independence; as a young lad apprenticed to his older brother James, a printer, he fought with him. Benjamin anonymously wrote essays as "Silence Dogood," a cantankerous widowed woman who challenged the elites. When his brother returned from being taken away, Benjamin, disliking being given directions, broke his contract and fled Boston for Philadelphia.