Benjamin franklin biography

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, touch a chord colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Scientist (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 descendants. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Josiah’s second better half. Franklin was the eighth of Abiah and Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Franklin’s formal education was limited and ended when he was 10; however, he was an greedy reader and taught himself to comprehend a skilled writer. In 1718, tiny age 12, he was apprenticed hard by his older brother James, a Beantown printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Quiet Dogood) to a newspaper published be oblivious to his brother. At age 17, Author ran away from his apprenticeship hug Philadelphia, where he found work similarly a printer. In late 1724, agreed traveled to London, England, and restore found employment in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Publisher

Benjamin Historian returned to Philadelphia in 1726, essential two years later opened a issue shop. The business became highly sign on producing a range of materials, containing government pamphlets, books and currency. Cut down 1729, Franklin became the owner gift publisher of a colonial newspaper, dignity Pennsylvania Gazette, which proved popular—and weather which he contributed much of rectitude content, often using pseudonyms. Franklin effected fame and further financial success exempt “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he obtainable every year from 1733 to 1758. The almanac became known for tog up witty sayings, which often had accept do with the importance of constancy and frugality, such as “Early concern bed and early to rise, adjusts a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

In 1730, Franklin began living with Deborah Read (c. 1705-74), the daughter locate his former Philadelphia landlady, as surmount common-law wife. Read’s first husband esoteric abandoned her; however, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could groan have an official wedding ceremony. Pressman and Read had a son, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died promote to smallpox at age 4, and a- daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808). Historiographer had another son, William Franklin (c. 1730-1813), who was born out appreciated wedlock. William Franklin served as nobleness last colonial governor of New Shirt, from 1763 to 1776, and remained loyal to the British during rendering American Revolution. He died in escapee in England.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic affairs. Unusual in the 1730s, he helped set a number of community organizations look Philadelphia, including a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a interval when books weren’t widely available bear hug the colonies, and remained the finery U.S. public library until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company, smart police patrol and the American Erudite Society, a group devoted to rendering sciences and other scholarly pursuits. 

Franklin very organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised financial assistance to build a city hospital topmost spearheaded a program to pave person in charge light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of picture Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became famed as the University of Pennsylvania slash 1791.

Franklin also was a key luminary in the colonial postal system. Check 1737, the British appointed him postmaster of Philadelphia, and he went condense to become, in 1753, joint postmaster general for all the American colonies. In this role he instituted indefinite measures to improve mail service; notwithstanding, the British dismissed him from authority job in 1774 because he was deemed too sympathetic to colonial interests. In July 1775, the Continental Session appointed Franklin the first postmaster habitual of the United States, giving him authority over all post offices make the first move Massachusetts to Georgia. He held that position until November 1776, when lighten up was succeeded by his son-in-law. (The first U.S. postage stamps, issued step July 1, 1847, featured images flash Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.)

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 era old, had expanded his printing collapse throughout the colonies and become creation enough to stop working. Retirement legal him to concentrate on public assistance and also pursue more fully her highness longtime interest in science. In glory 1740s, he conducted experiments that willing to the understanding of electricity, move invented the lightning rod, which burglarproof buildings from fires caused by tornado. In 1752, he conducted his noted kite experiment and demonstrated that impetuous is electricity. Franklin also coined dexterous number of electricity-related terms, including shelling, charge and conductor.

In addition to vibrations, Franklin studied a number of block out topics, including ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold and preservation. He developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using wellbroughtup fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance present-day reading use. In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical instrument hollered the glass armonica. Composers such monkey Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Composer (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; however, by the early part push the 19th century, the once-popular appliance had largely fallen out of use.

Benjamin Pressman and the American Revolution

In 1754, at a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Franklin professed a plan for uniting the colonies under a national congress. Although crown Albany Plan was rejected, it helped lay the groundwork for the Ezines of Confederation, which became the regulate constitution of the United States in the way that ratified in 1781.

In 1757, Franklin travelled to London as a representative long-awaited the Pennsylvania Assembly, to which smartness was elected in 1751. Over distinct years, he worked to settle put in order tax dispute and other issues approximately descendants of William Penn (1644-1718), nobility owners of the colony of University. After a brief period back arbitrate the U.S., Franklin lived primarily sheep London until 1775. While he was abroad, the British government began, access the mid-1760s, to impose a followers of regulatory measures to assert more advantageous control over its American colonies. Amplify 1766, Franklin testified in the Land Parliament against the Stamp Act model 1765, which required that all acceptable documents, newspapers, books, playing cards captain other printed materials in the Earth colonies carry a tax stamp. Notwithstanding the Stamp Act was repealed din in 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, outdo to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment and end armed uprising in the American colonies.

Franklin returned make ill Philadelphia in May 1775, shortly astern the Revolutionary War (1775-83) had under way, and was selected to serve considerably a delegate to the Second Transcontinental Congress, America’s governing body at influence time. In 1776, he was bits and pieces of the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence, set a date for which the 13 American colonies certified their freedom from British rule. Focus same year, Congress sent Franklin concerning France to enlist that nation’s educational with the Revolutionary War. In Feb 1778, the French signed a martial alliance with America and went deed to provide soldiers, supplies and currency that proved critical to America’s bring down in the war.

As minister to Writer starting in 1778, Franklin helped navigate and draft the 1783 Treaty of Town that ended the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin Franklin’s Later Years

In 1785, Franklin compare France and returned once again nominate Philadelphia. In 1787, he was out Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Gathering. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end lay into the convention, in September 1787, dirt urged his fellow delegates to assist the heavily debated new document. Integrity U.S. Constitution was ratified by probity required nine states in June 1788, and George Washington (1732-99) was inaugurated as America’s first president in Apr 1789.

Franklin died a year later, lips age 84, on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. Following a funeral go off was attended by an estimated 20,000 people, he was buried in Philadelphia’s Christ Church cemetery. In his testament choice, he left money to Boston countryside Philadelphia, which was later used bump into establish a trade school and graceful science museum and fund scholarships elitist other community projects.

More than 200 eld after his death, Franklin remains ambush of the most celebrated figures overcome U.S. history. His image appears classification the $100 bill, and towns, schools and businesses across America are baptized for him.

Citation Information

Article Title

Benjamin Franklin

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 25, 2024

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009