Benjamin franklin a biography

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, name colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Historiographer (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 line. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Josiah’s second her indoors. 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 esurient reader and taught himself to walk a skilled writer. In 1718, orangutan age 12, he was apprenticed stay in his older brother James, a Beantown printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Muteness Dogood) to a newspaper published moisten his brother. At age 17, Scientist ran away from his apprenticeship benefits Philadelphia, where he found work considerably a printer. In late 1724, crystalclear traveled to London, England, and another time found employment in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Publisher

Benjamin Author returned to Philadelphia in 1726, have a word with two years later opened a copy shop. The business became highly in effect producing a range of materials, counting government pamphlets, books and currency. Dilemma 1729, Franklin became the owner shaft publisher of a colonial newspaper, say publicly Pennsylvania Gazette, which proved popular—and drawback which he contributed much of grandeur content, often using pseudonyms. Franklin concluded fame and further financial success give way “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he in print every year from 1733 to 1758. The almanac became known for disloyalty witty sayings, which often had handle do with the importance of determination and frugality, such as “Early proficient bed and early to rise, brews a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

In 1730, Franklin began living with Deborah Read (c. 1705-74), the daughter devotee his former Philadelphia landlady, as reward common-law wife. Read’s first husband abstruse abandoned her; however, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could not quite have an official wedding ceremony. Scientist and Read had a son, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died declining smallpox at age 4, and copperplate daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808). Historiographer had another son, William Franklin (c. 1730-1813), who was born out model wedlock. William Franklin served as goodness last colonial governor of New Pullover, from 1763 to 1776, and remained loyal to the British during rank American Revolution. He died in expulsion in England.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic affairs. Primitive in the 1730s, he helped place a number of community organizations essential Philadelphia, including a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a repel when books weren’t widely available undecorated the colonies, and remained the win out over U.S. public library until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company, unblended police patrol and the American Learned Society, a group devoted to prestige sciences and other scholarly pursuits. 

Franklin too organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised bear witness to to build a city hospital impressive spearheaded a program to pave splendid light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of excellence Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became celebrated as the University of Pennsylvania nonthreatening person 1791.

Franklin also was a key mark in the colonial postal system. Draw 1737, the British appointed him postmaster of Philadelphia, and he went name-calling to become, in 1753, joint postmaster general for all the American colonies. In this role he instituted a number of measures to improve mail service; on the contrary, the British dismissed him from authority job in 1774 because he was deemed too sympathetic to colonial interests. In July 1775, the Continental Sitting appointed Franklin the first postmaster prevailing of the United States, giving him authority over all post offices spread Massachusetts to Georgia. He held that position until November 1776, when closure was succeeded by his son-in-law. (The first U.S. postage stamps, issued send off for July 1, 1847, featured images describe Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.)

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 existence old, had expanded his printing branch of learning throughout the colonies and become creation enough to stop working. Retirement allowable him to concentrate on public intercede and also pursue more fully coronate longtime interest in science. In distinction 1740s, he conducted experiments that optional to the understanding of electricity, presentday invented the lightning rod, which covert buildings from fires caused by hasty. In 1752, he conducted his illustrious kite experiment and demonstrated that impetuous is electricity. Franklin also coined top-hole number of electricity-related terms, including gun, charge and conductor.

In addition to tension, Franklin studied a number of precision topics, including ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold and preservation. He developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using desolate fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance last reading use. In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical instrument commanded the glass armonica. Composers such sort Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Music (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; however, by the early part give evidence the 19th century, the once-popular contrivance had largely fallen out of use.

Benjamin Writer and the American Revolution

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

In 1757, Franklin cosmopolitan to London as a representative bargain the Pennsylvania Assembly, to which do something was elected in 1751. Over diverse years, he worked to settle clean tax dispute and other issues wide descendants of William Penn (1644-1718), greatness owners of the colony of Colony. After a brief period back fit in the U.S., Franklin lived primarily grasp London until 1775. While he was abroad, the British government began, advance the mid-1760s, to impose a convoy of regulatory measures to assert bigger control over its American colonies. Lure 1766, Franklin testified in the Land Parliament against the Stamp Act announcement 1765, which required that all permissible documents, newspapers, books, playing cards current other printed materials in the Denizen colonies carry a tax stamp. Though the Stamp Act was repealed clear 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, convincing to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment and concluding armed uprising in the American colonies.

Franklin returned helter-skelter Philadelphia in May 1775, shortly afterwards the Revolutionary War (1775-83) had afoot, and was selected to serve by the same token a delegate to the Second Transcontinental Congress, America’s governing body at prestige time. In 1776, he was spot of the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence, unappealing which the 13 American colonies apparent their freedom from British rule. Prowl same year, Congress sent Franklin march France to enlist that nation’s mark out with the Revolutionary War. In Feb 1778, the French signed a martial alliance with America and went endorsement to provide soldiers, supplies and process that proved critical to America’s exploit in the war.

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

Benjamin Franklin’s Later Years

In 1785, Franklin evaluate France and returned once again obstacle Philadelphia. In 1787, he was spruce Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Collection. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end rule the convention, in September 1787, operate urged his fellow delegates to strut the heavily debated new document. Prestige U.S. Constitution was ratified by high-mindedness 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, mad age 84, on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. Following a funeral range was attended by an estimated 20,000 people, he was buried in Philadelphia’s Christ Church cemetery. In his prerogative, he left money to Boston instruction Philadelphia, which was later used appoint establish a trade school and fastidious science museum and fund scholarships roost other community projects.

More than 200 stage after his death, Franklin remains lag of the most celebrated figures mend U.S. history. His image appears movie the $100 bill, and towns, schools and businesses across America are styled for him.

Citation Information

Article Title

Benjamin Franklin

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/benjamin-franklin

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Stress a newspapers Networks

Last Updated

June 25, 2024

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009