History of UPenn University

Penn was founded in 1740 by an evangelist named George Whitefield. His original idea was to create a charity school and a house of worship. Despite his dreams, the project was unfinished due to huge budget costs and scarcity of resources.

In 1749, Benjamin Franklin had a vision to educate local Philadelphia citizens, he named his vision the "Publick Academy of Philadelphia". Franklin was able to spread his passion through the "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth", an famous essay he published in the year. The academy's purpose is to allow every person to have the opportunity to learn the basic knowledge, art, and skills to acquire a job. The school supported the idea of higher education that intertwined arts and job skills. His aim was to expose younger citizens to experience leadership in public services, government, and business.

The original design for UPenn.

Upon construction, Franklin sought for a way to reduce costs to make the education offered as affordable as possible. Franklin tried to get every donation and charity to contribute to this cause, and many Philadelphians participated by creating a great preaching hall that would serve as the charity for "the instruction of poor children". He also made ties with Reverend William Smith, who later designed a curriculum that would cover and merge Classics with the sciences. After the American Revolution, the school was acknowledged as the first American University and the first state school.

UPenn's modern-day campus.