One man stands out in history because of his laundry list of achievements and huge presence in the development of the United States of America. This man is responsible for inventions that change the way every single person lives their lives, and without him, we may not be where we are today. His revelations and placement in history altered the world and created a format for many great men to follow. This man is Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin lived for eighty five years and during his time on the planet, he completely altered history and made some of the greatest impacts to date. He was born January 17, 1706, and had many roles throughout his life. Named, “One of the Founding Fathers of the United States,” he wore multiple hats besides just being a politician. The list goes on and on but his major positions included publisher, author, postmaster, scientist, printer, diplomat, inventor, satirist, activist, and statesman. Born in New England, more specifically, Boston, Ben was born into one of the most political areas of the time. Boston was a hotbed for conflict, activism, and political life. Benjamin Franklin’s early years also consisted of an enriched family life as he was born the tenth son to his father, who in all fathered seventeen children. His mother was Josiah Franklin’s second wife. Benjamin’s parents were intent on his entry into the clergy; yet, due to a lack of funds, he was unable to take this route. Religion was important to the Franklin family, even if they could not afford to school Benjamin in religious studies. There has been some confusion over time as to whether or not Benjamin Franklin was a Quaker but he was not. He was actually baptized and practiced as a Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
And so began Benjamin’s journey into the workforce. Albeit different from most people his age, at 12 years old, he was lucky that his love of reading would aid in assisting his brother. As an apprentice printer, Benjamin worked collaboratively with James, making pamphlets and then selling them on the streets of Boston. As a family business, the longevity proved to be one of the perks of working with a sibling, and by the time he was fifteen, he was able to move higher in the ranks. This was where his politicism merged with his love for print. Benjamin helped James start The New England Courant, a paper filled with opinion pieces, local news, schedules for transport, and advertisements. Other papers in the area only carried stories from abroad, so James’ paper was widely respected as the first true newspaper in Boston. Because of his age, Benjamin was not given a chance to write for the paper, or so everyone thought. Utilizing his creative prowess, he wrote letters in secret, sending them to his brother, James, under a pseudonym, “Silence Dogood,” an opinionated woman, of all things. He wrote from the perspective of a woman of the times who was extremely cynical and concerned with the treatment of other females. Silence became a voice for the people and chatter ensued. Everyone wondered who she really was. After over fifteen publications, Ben Franklin told the town that he was the one who was writing as Silence, to the dismay of his brother. James did not find this to be amusing, considering the attention it garnered. In fact, it got so much attention that readers increased and while Silence was an important contributor, James also brought forth many subjects that Puritan leaders opposed, one being vaccinations. James took it upon himself to poke fun at the Puritans rather than just argue his points. This angered the towns people and he was arrested and put in jail. While Ben ran the paper, James was infuriated that he would now be getting all the credit. He was so harsh on poor ben that he ran away in 1723. He later started purchased his own paper in 1729 called, The Pennsylvania Gazette, where he wrote and printed the paper. The paper became
1. I believe that Benjamin Franklin was considered the first Civic Scientist for many reasons. First of all a Civic Scientist is a scientist that is basically just a member of a town. Ben Franklin ran away from his home and off to Philadelphia at age 17. He made a life for himself instead of most of the royalty who is just born into fortune and fame. Also, he invented many different things that have changed the way that we live today. For example, he discovered electricity, which is probably one…
Name: ___________________________________________ 1. Ben Franklin was born in Boston in 1706 to a large, religious family. Although he only had about two years of formal schooling, Ben’s love of reading led to his first job (at age 12) as an apprentice ___________________________.Find the answer at: http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm 2. Ben also loved to write. When he was 16, his writings were published in his brother's newspaper under the name of ________________________. His letters…
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin [Name of the writer] [Name of the institution] The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Introduction The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the customary title for the unfinished record of his life in writing by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790, although, Franklin himself seems, called the work his Memoirs. Although there was a tortuous annals of the publication after the death of Franklin, this work…
Benjamin Franklin Fatima Sajid Section- 8-1 Table of Contents Title ……………………………………… Page 1 Table of Contents………………………… Page 2 Biography……………………………….... Page 3 Picture…………………………………….. Page 4 Map………………………………………. Page 5 Extensions 1-3…………………………….. Pages 6-8 Bibliography……………………………..... Page 9 Biography Benjamin Franklin was born in Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706 to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger.He was the youngest son of five generations of youngest sons. He…
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was one of our greatest founding fathers and has impacted our country more than you can imagine. What sets Benjamin Franklin apart from the other founding fathers was that not only was he instrumental in the founding of our country, he also invented many items that have been perfected and are still used today. Benjamin Franklin played a key role in the founding of our country through his actions in congress, his civic leadership in Philadelphia, and his ongoing…
Susanna Dey 19 November 2011 Benjamin Franklin Say the name Benjamin Franklin and you may picture a chubby man with spectacles holding a kite during a lightening storm. Perhaps you picture him a older man with spectacles propped up on his nose standing in a great room full of distinguished gentlemen signing the Declaration of Independence. Both of these facts about Benjamin Franklin's life would be true. However, there was so much more to Mr. Franklin. He was a diplomat, a statesman, a scientist…
Ben Franklin’s Virtues To many, Ben Franklin is considered a genius. Franklin was an inventor, author, printer, and helped found the United States of America. As a young adult, Franklin sought to reach “moral perfection” in which he listed thirteen virtues and attempted to perfect each one, one at a time. Although Franklin’s project failed, he continued to write about the virtues that everyone should be familiar with and were important for being respected. Franklin’s writings infer that determination…
Benjamin Franklin We all know him as the man who is on the five dollar bill and the man who invented electricity. However, he has done much more than most people realize. This entrepreneur, inventor, writer and scientist changed the world as we know it with his knowledge and discoveries. Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 on Milk Street in Boston to Josiah and Abiah Franklin. He was the youngest of ten children. Franklin’s education started when he attended Latin School at the age of…
finding success in the world and the story of a young woman coming of age and failing to do so. In either book, what gender roles prevailed?” In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, we are reading the path that one man took to go from a middle class child to a well respected adult. Benjamin Franklin created what we know today as the American dream. Today we understand the American dream to be that one can go from rags to riches with a little hard work. The autobiography is based around…
January 25, 2012 George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin all played a very important and significant role in US history. George Washington was the General of the Continental Army, our first President and he had a larger than life persona about him. Thomas Jefferson beautifully crafted the Declaration of Independence; he contributed in his term as our 3rd President and was one of the great American Enlightenment thinkers. Ben Franklin contributed everything he had to give to America, he was…