Benjamin Franklin was a famous scientist, sage, U.S. founding father, and president of the nation's first anti-slavery society. When Franklin was 16 years old, the state of Massachusetts imprisoned his brother for criticizing the government. In response, Franklin used an alias to write a commentary in which he quoted the following statements from a London newspaper: "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation, must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." "In those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call any thing else his own." "Guilt only dreads liberty of speech, which drags it out of its lurking holes, and exposes its deformity and horror to daylight."