As the 1730s and '40s go on, Franklin becomes more and more successful. His newspaper does very well, and he has a good relationship with his printing office in the Carolinas. He continues working on his public works projects, one of which is plans for an "Academy." The plan is unsuccessful at first, and Franklin abandons it temporarily to focus on a plan for colonial defense. He resumes work on the Academy in 1743 after publishing Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania. With the help of the Junto, Franklin oversees a board of trustees and the construction of what soon becomes the University of Pennsylvania, which opens as a full-fledged college in 1755 and a university in 1765.
Meanwhile, Franklin publishes a pamphlet called Plain Truth which outlines the poor defense of the colonies and the need for colonial unity. He organizes a town meeting to discuss the pamphlet, and at this meeting he promotes the need for increased common colonial defense. Franklin establishes a type of lottery to raise defense money, although he has difficulty raising funds because of the large population of pacifist Quakers, whom Franklin respects enormously.
Becoming more obsessed with bettering the quality of life, Franklin invents the stove in 1742, and he beneficently refuses to patent it so as to allow its greater proliferation. To his satisfaction, the use of stoves becomes widespread within his lifetime. Later on, he becomes Commissioner of the Peace, then takes a seat in the Pennsylvania Assembly. One of his projects in the House is to draft a treaty with the American Indians. He respects the Indians, and he laments that the harmful effects of alcohol abuse have "annihilated" some tribes. In 1751, Franklin, with his friend Thomas Bond, draft ideas for building a hospital, and Franklin drafts the bill to secure funding. At the same time, he works as an advisor on the construction of a new Presbyterian meeting house
