Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on Jan. 17, 1706. He was the 15th child and youngest son in a family of 17 children. His parents, Josiah and Abiah "Folger" Franklin, were hard working, God-fearing folk. His father made soap and candles in his shop at the first shop on Main Street in Boston. Benjamin attended Boston's School of Latin in Boston for only two years. He dropped out after deciding that a career in ministering was not for him. He later went to a secular school for two years and proved himself a good writer and excellent reader. Josiah Franklin decided that he could not afford further education for his youngest son. He kept Benjamin home after the age of ten to help cut wicks and melt wax in his father's candle and soap shop. Franklin's schooling ended, but his education did not. He never stopped learning. Ben also taught himself the basics of algebra and geometry, navigation, grammar, logic, and the natural and physical sciences. He studied and learned some French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. Franklin did not care much for the trade of candle making. When the boy was 12, his father persuaded him to become an apprentice to his older brother James, a printer. His father
Political relations between Britain and the colonies kept getting worse. Franklin wanted America to remain in the British Empire, but only if the rights of the colonists could be recognized and protected. He offered to give his entire fortune to pay for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party if the British government would agree to repeal its unfair tax on tea, but the British ignored his proposal. Franklin realized that his usefulness in Britain had ended, and sadly sailed for home on March 21, 1775. Franklin had done everything possible to keep the American Colonies in the empire on the basis of respect and good will. Franklin arrived in Philadelphia on May 5, 1775, about two weeks after the Revolutionary War began. The next day, the people of Philadelphia chose him to serve in the Second Continental Congress. Many of these sayings preach the virtues of industry, frugality, and thrift. "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." "God helps them that help themselves." "Little strokes fell great oaks." Other sayings reflect a practical understanding of human nature. "He's a fool that makes his doctor his heir." "He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals." Franklin also took part in the fight over the Stamp Act. He seemed rather slow in recognizing that the proposed measure threatened the American Colonies. But once he realized its dangers, he joined the struggle for repeal of the act. This fight led to one of the high points of his career. The brothers fought frequently, and Ben longed to become his own master. At 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, which was then the largest city in the American Colonies. Benjamin arrived in Philadelphia and, from 1723 to 1730, worked for various printers in Philadelphia and in London, England, where he was sent to buy printing presses. He became part owner of a print shop in 1728, when he was 22. Two years later, he became owner of the business. He began publishing The Pennsylvania Gazette, writing most of the material for the newspaper himself. His name gradually became known through the colonies. Franklin had a simple formula for business success. He believed that successful people had to work just a little harder than any of their competitors. Franklin was one of the first people in the world to experiment with electricity. He conducted his most famous electrical experiment at Philadelphia in 1752. He flew a homemade kite during a thunderstorm, and proved that lightning is electricity. A bolt of lightning struck a pointed wire fastened to the kite and traveled down the kite string to a key fastened at the end, where it caused a spark. Then he even tamed lightning by inventing the lightning rod. He urged his fellow citizens to use his device as a sure way to stop lighting from hitting their buildings. When lightning struck Franklin's own home, the effectiveness of his invention became apparent. The lightning rod saved the building from damage. Franklin's experiments with electricity involved some personal risk. He knocked himself unconscious at least once. He had been trying to kill a Christmas turkey with an electric shock, but something went wrong and Franklin, not the bird, was stunned. In 1778, F
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Approximate Word count = 2175
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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