BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Hazel Harkness

INTRODUCTION

Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the leading figures of early American history. His
many titles include a statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat. Franklins formal education was limited and ended when he was only ten years old; however,

he was an avid reader and taught himself to become a skilled writer. While he had little
education, he became wealthy with his successful printing business. Franklins efforts of helping his city included starting a lending library, hospital and college, and also his

experiments with electricity, among other projects.

DID YOU KNOW

Benjamin Franklin was a part of the American Revolution by serving in the

Second Continental Congress and helping draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. In 1787, his final significant act of public service was being a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.

PRINTER AND PUBLISHER

In 1728, Benjamin Franklin opened a printing shop in Philadelphia. The business produced a wide range of materials that included government pamphlets, books and currency, becoming highly successful.

A year later, Franklin owned and published a colonial newspaper named the Pennsylvania
Gazette, which proved to be popular. Franklin contributed much of the content himself, often using pseudonyms. Franklin achieved fame and gained even more financial success with "Poor

Richards Almanack," which he published every year from 1733 to 1758. The almanac became
known for its witty sayings, which often had to do with the importance of diligence and frugality, such as "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

ELECTRICITY

In the 1740s, Benjamin Franklin conducted experiments that contributed to

the understanding of electricity, and invented the lightning rod, which protected buildings from fires caused by lightning. In 1752, he conducted his famous kite experiment and demonstrated that lightning is electricity. Franklin also coined various electricity-related terms, including battery, charge and conductor.

OTHER INVENTIONS

In addition to electricity, Franklin studied a number of other topics, including

ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold and refrigeration. He developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using less fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance and reading use. In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical instrument called the glass armonica

INVENTIONS

REVOLUTION

In 1754 in Albany, New York Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the
colonies under a national congress during a meeting of colonial representatives. Although his Albany Plan was rejected, it helped pave the way for the Articles of Confederation, which became the first constitution of the United States in 1781 when it ratified.

THE REST

Over several years, he worked to settle a tax dispute and other issues involving descendants
of William Penn (1644-1718), the owners of the colony of Pennsylvania. In 1766, Franklin testified in the British Parliament against the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that all

legal documents, newspapers, books, playing cards and other printed materials in the
American colonies carry a tax stamp. Although the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, leading to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment

and eventual armed uprising by the American colonists.

LATER IN LIFE

In his will, Franklin left money to Boston and Philadelphia, which was later
used to establish a trade school, a science museum, fund scholarships and other community projects.