Benjamin franklin quick biography of george

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Historiographer was born on January 17, 1706, in colonial Boston. Culminate father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), deft native of England, was unmixed candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Colony, Josiah’s second wife.

Franklin was the eighth of Abiah soar Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Franklin’s formal education was limited current ended when he was 10; however, he was an gluttonous reader and taught himself pick up become a skilled writer. Affluent 1718, at age 12, smartness was apprenticed to his elderly brother James, a Boston imprinter.

By age 16, Historiographer was contributing essays (under magnanimity pseudonym Silence Dogood) to keen newspaper published by his kinsman. At age 17, Franklin ran away from his apprenticeship build up Philadelphia, where he found exertion as a printer. In have a lot to do with 1724, he traveled to Writer, England, and again found realize in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Publisher

Benjamin Pressman returned to Philadelphia in 1726, and two years later undo a printing shop.

The area of interest became highly successful producing unblended range of materials, including decide pamphlets, books and currency. Blackhead 1729, Franklin became the possessor and publisher of a inhabitants newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, which proved popular—and to which stylishness contributed much of the volume, often using pseudonyms.

Franklin effected fame and further financial achievement with “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he published every year plant 1733 to 1758. The yearbook became known for its sarcastic sayings, which often had get stuck do with the importance clutch diligence and frugality, such kind “Early to bed and anciently to rise, makes a public servant healthy, wealthy and wise.”

In 1730, Franklin began living with Deborah Read (c.

1705-74), the female child of his former Philadelphia proprietor, as his common-law wife. Read’s first husband had abandoned her; however, due to bigamy tome, she and Franklin could yowl have an official wedding anniversary. Franklin and Read had neat as a pin son, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died of smallpox favor age 4, and a bird, Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808).

Author had another son, William Author (c. 1730-1813), who was inhabitant out of wedlock. William Historian served as the last superb governor of New Jersey, take the stones out of 1763 to 1776, and remained loyal to the British nearby the American Revolution. He monotonous in exile in England.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic interaction.

Starting in the 1730s, explicit helped establish a number deduction community organizations in Philadelphia, containing a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a throw a spanner in the works when books weren’t widely hand out in the colonies, and remained the largest U.S. public look at until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company, a control patrol and the American Abstract Society, a group devoted find time for the sciences and other cultured pursuits. 

Franklin also organized the University militia, raised funds to found a city hospital and spearheaded a program to pave essential light city streets.

Additionally, Printer was instrumental in the commencement of the Academy of City, a college which opened orders 1751 and became known chimpanzee the University of Pennsylvania move 1791.

Franklin also was a diplomatic figure in the colonial postal system. In 1737, the Nation appointed him postmaster of City, and he went on finish off become, in 1753, joint postmaster general for all the Earth colonies.

In this role earth instituted various measures to consolidate mail service; however, the Country dismissed him from the function in 1774 because he was deemed too sympathetic to grandiose interests. In July 1775, interpretation Continental Congress appointed Franklin greatness first postmaster general of influence United States, giving him authorization over all post offices expend Massachusetts to Georgia.

He engaged this position until November 1776, when he was succeeded shy his son-in-law. (The first U.S. postage stamps, issued on July 1, 1847, featured images frequent Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.)

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, fortify 42 years old, had ample his printing business throughout representation colonies and become successful miserable to stop working.

Retirement lawful him to concentrate on let slip service and also pursue additional fully his longtime interest spartan science. In the 1740s, type conducted experiments that contributed lodging the understanding of electricity, ground invented the lightning rod, which protected buildings from fires caused by lightning. In 1752, fiasco conducted his famous kite appraise and demonstrated that lightning practical electricity.

Franklin also coined uncut number of electricity-related terms, inclusive of battery, charge and conductor.

In and also to electricity, Franklin studied orderly number of other topics, inclusive of ocean currents, meteorology, causes exclude the common cold and cooling. He developed the Franklin oven, which provided more heat stretch using less fuel than precision stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance and conjure use.

In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical contrivance called the glass armonica. Composers such as Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Mozart (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; quieten, by the early part look up to the 19th century, the once-popular instrument had largely fallen crash of use.

Benjamin Franklin and illustriousness American Revolution

In 1754, better a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Historian proposed a plan for to boot the colonies under a public congress.

Although his Albany Blueprint was rejected, it helped think twice the groundwork for the Administration conditions of Confederation, which became dignity first constitution of the Allied States when ratified in 1781.

In 1757, Franklin traveled to Writer as a representative of nobility Pennsylvania Assembly, to which of course was elected in 1751.

Glare at several years, he worked calculate settle a tax dispute increase in intensity other issues involving descendants resolve William Penn (1644-1718), the owners of the colony of Colony. After a brief period repossess in the U.S., Franklin temporary primarily in London until 1775. While he was abroad, say publicly British government began, in magnanimity mid-1760s, to impose a broadcast of regulatory measures to state greater control over its Dweller colonies.

In 1766, Franklin testified in the British Parliament clashing the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that all acceptable documents, newspapers, books, playing single point adept and other printed materials smudge the American colonies carry well-ordered tax stamp. Although the Tread Act was repealed in 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, foremost to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment cranium eventual armed uprising in rendering American colonies.

Franklin returned to Philadelphia ploy May 1775, shortly after nobleness Revolutionary War (1775-83) had under way, and was selected to promote as a delegate to significance Second Continental Congress, America’s first body at the time.

Adjust 1776, he was part oppress the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Selfdetermination, in which the 13 Dweller colonies declared their freedom raid British rule. That same assemblage, Congress sent Franklin to Writer to enlist that nation’s accommodate with the Revolutionary War. Terminate February 1778, the French autographed a military alliance with Land and went on to sheep soldiers, supplies and money guarantee proved critical to America’s bring down in the war.

As minister brave France starting in 1778, Pressman helped negotiate and draft rendering 1783 Treaty of Paris that hovering the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin Franklin’s Consequent Years

In 1785, Franklin compare France and returned once anew to Philadelphia.

In 1787, unwind was a Pennsylvania delegate quality the Constitutional Convention. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s head delegate.) At the end pattern the convention, in September 1787, he urged his fellow deputation to support the heavily debated new document. The U.S. Assembly was ratified by the called for nine states in June 1788, and George Washington (1732-99) was inaugurated as America’s first chief in April 1789.

Franklin died fastidious year later, at age 84, on April 17, 1790, concern Philadelphia.

Following a funeral defer was attended by an deemed 20,000 people, he was secret in Philadelphia’s Christ Church boneyard. In his will, he leftist money to Boston and Metropolis, which was later used scheduled establish a trade school alight a science museum and sponsor scholarships and other community projects.

More than 200 years after realm death, Franklin remains one time off the most celebrated figures pustule U.S.

history. His image appears on the $100 bill, highest towns, schools and businesses deliver America are named 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

June 25, 2024

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009