He made sure everyone was open to education, especially women. Despite 18th-century social norms, Franklin did not view gender as a means of dichotomizing the roles of opposite sexes. He recommended that the education of our young women was essential for themselves and their children (Franklin 77). By using the term "our", Franklin emphasizes his care for people and that the general public plays a crucial role in his efforts at self-improvement. Furthermore, with the help and subsidy of the American government and Great Britain, Benjamin Franklin was able to establish an institution of higher learning, the University of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania). For without the heroic Benjamin Franklin, education would be a deficient aspect of America and the value of knowledge might not have been as diverse and open as it is.