As I read through Ben Franklin’s biography, I’m pleasantly surprised by how common and pervasive pseudonymity was in pre-independence American colonies. Ben Franklin used a number of pseudonyms to publish articles in newspapers. Walter Issacson covers this on page 227 of his book:

As has been frequently noted, Franklin often wrote anonymously or using a pseudonym.  Sometimes, he was trying to to be truly anonymous; at other times, he was wearing only a thin mask.  This practice was not unusual, indeed it was quite common, among writers of the eighteenth century, including such Franklin heroes as Addison, Steele, and Defoe.  “Scarce one part in ten of the valuable books which are published are with the author’s name,” Addison once declared, with a bit of exaggeration.  At the time, writing anonymously was considered cleverer, less vulgar, and less likely to lead to libel or sedition charges.  Gentlemen sometimes thought it was beneath their stature to have their names on pamphlets and press pieces.  The practice also assured that dissenting political and religious writings were rebutted on their merits rather than by personal attacks.

I think the Franklin was onto something with pseudonyms. One of Bitcoin’s most important aspects is Satoshi’s pseudonymity.

You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.