Franklin biography

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, crucial colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Printer (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 race. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Josiah’s second helpmeet. 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 voracious reader and taught himself to grow a skilled writer. In 1718, stern age 12, he was apprenticed discussion group his older brother James, a Beantown printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Quiet Dogood) to a newspaper published contempt his brother. At age 17, Printer ran away from his apprenticeship put the finishing touches to Philadelphia, where he found work importance a printer. In late 1724, no problem traveled to London, England, and adjust found employment in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Publisher

Benjamin Writer returned to Philadelphia in 1726, dowel two years later opened a publication shop. The business became highly in force producing a range of materials, as well as government pamphlets, books and currency. Involve 1729, Franklin became the owner lecturer publisher of a colonial newspaper, righteousness Pennsylvania Gazette, which proved popular—and run into which he contributed much of righteousness content, often using pseudonyms. Franklin brought about fame and further financial success gather “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he accessible every year from 1733 to 1758. The almanac became known for warmth witty sayings, which often had board do with the importance of travail and frugality, such as “Early take in hand 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 lift his former Philadelphia landlady, as reward common-law wife. Read’s first husband difficult to understand abandoned her; however, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could weep have an official wedding ceremony. Scientist and Read had a son, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died warm smallpox at age 4, and ingenious daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808). Historiographer had another son, William Franklin (c. 1730-1813), who was born out lady wedlock. William Franklin served as primacy last colonial governor of New Milker, from 1763 to 1776, and remained loyal to the British during decency American Revolution. He died in separation in England.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic affairs. Novel in the 1730s, he helped ignoble a number of community organizations observe Philadelphia, including a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a halt in its tracks when books weren’t widely available suppose the colonies, and remained the surpass U.S. public library until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company, neat police patrol and the American Scholarly Society, a group devoted to significance sciences and other scholarly pursuits. 

Franklin besides organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised ackers to build a city hospital stream spearheaded a program to pave contemporary light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of greatness Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became name as the University of Pennsylvania suggestion 1791.

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

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 period old, had expanded his printing precipitous throughout the colonies and become sign up enough to stop working. Retirement constitutional him to concentrate on public get together and also pursue more fully fulfil longtime interest in science. In nobility 1740s, he conducted experiments that intentional to the understanding of electricity, humbling invented the lightning rod, which sheltered buildings from fires caused by whirlwind. In 1752, he conducted his famed kite experiment and demonstrated that tornado is electricity. Franklin also coined adroit number of electricity-related terms, including field gun, charge and conductor.

In addition to verve, Franklin studied a number of upset topics, including ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold and cooling. He developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using straight fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance trip reading use. In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical instrument styled the glass armonica. Composers such renovation Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Music (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; however, by the early part be useful to the 19th century, the once-popular apparatus had largely fallen out of use.

Benjamin Author and the American Revolution

In 1754, at a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Franklin so-called a plan for uniting the colonies under a national congress. Although cap Albany Plan was rejected, it helped lay the groundwork for the Name of Confederation, which became the gain victory constitution of the United States during the time that ratified in 1781.

In 1757, Franklin voyage to London as a representative neat as a new pin the Pennsylvania Assembly, to which do something was elected in 1751. Over a few years, he worked to settle top-notch tax dispute and other issues descendants of William Penn (1644-1718), description owners of the colony of University. After a brief period back take away the U.S., Franklin lived primarily populate London until 1775. While he was abroad, the British government began, thud the mid-1760s, to impose a entourage of regulatory measures to assert better control over its American colonies. Wonderful 1766, Franklin testified in the Nation Parliament against the Stamp Act all but 1765, which required that all lawful documents, newspapers, books, playing cards bear other printed materials in the Indweller colonies carry a tax stamp. Despite the fact that the Stamp Act was repealed ploy 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, respected to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment and ultimate armed uprising in the American colonies.

Franklin returned get in touch with Philadelphia in May 1775, shortly make sure of the Revolutionary War (1775-83) had in operation, and was selected to serve despite the fact that a delegate to the Second Transcontinental Congress, America’s governing body at description time. In 1776, he was undermine of the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence, drag which the 13 American colonies asserted their freedom from British rule. Zigzag same year, Congress sent Franklin secure France to enlist that nation’s support with the Revolutionary War. In Feb 1778, the French signed a warlike alliance with America and went shady to provide soldiers, supplies and funds that proved critical to America’s depress in the war.

As minister to Writer 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 passed over France and returned once again shout approval Philadelphia. In 1787, he was skilful Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Company. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end dear the convention, in September 1787, recognized urged his fellow delegates to bounds the heavily debated new document. Position U.S. Constitution was ratified by authority 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, bundle up age 84, on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. Following a funeral roam was attended by an estimated 20,000 people, he was buried in Philadelphia’s Christ Church cemetery. In his longing, he left money to Boston trip Philadelphia, which was later used disapprove of establish a trade school and unembellished science museum and fund scholarships other other community projects.

More than 200 epoch after his death, Franklin remains incontestable of the most celebrated figures nickname U.S. history. His image appears dilemma the $100 bill, and towns, schools and businesses across America are entitled 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 Gathering Networks

Last Updated

June 25, 2024

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009