Benjamin Franklin

1706-1790
 Born 6 January 1706, the son of a Boston
tallow maker (used in candles and soap) –
father has political post – family is not
Puritan but has similar ideals.
 Printer’s apprentice for his brother James
at age 12 – writing satiric pieces for
publication with the name Silence Dogood
who was supposedly a middle aged widow.
 Ran away at 17 (James wanted a servant,
not an apprentice) and came to
Philadelphia. He started his own print shop
and began the Pennsylvania Gazette.
 In order to get away from Boston, Franklin
and a friend convinced a sea captain that
Franklin had gotten a girl pregnant and
that he needed to be hidden until the ship
was on its way so that the girl’s father
would not find Franklin and force him to
marry the girl.
 Even as a teenager, Franklin was negative
about religion, an aspect of his life that will
be a factor as he gets older.
 Fled to NYC but could not find work there.
Someone suggested he go to Philadelphia
 On the trip, Franklin saved a passenger
from drowning. There was no place to
dock so the ship was forced to stay at sea
for 30 hours – there was no food or water.
 Walked across New Jersey and took a
small boat going from Burlington, NJ, to
Philadelphia. Eventually docked at the
Market Street Wharf.
 Bought three rolls of bread with the little
money he had left and then walked down
Market Street with a roll under each arm
and eating the third. Seen by Debra
Read, the young lady who will eventually
become his wife.
 Gave one of the loaves of bread to a
woman and her child who were continuing
their trip down the river.
 Followed well-dressed people to a Quaker
meetinghouse and slept on a pew.
 1730 – created Poor Richard (Richard
Saunders) and began publishing Poor
Richard’s Almanack. This almanac gave
farmer’s planting info, tide information,
weather forecasts, moon phases, and
other handy tips.
 Retired in 1750 – wise investments allow
him to retire at age 44! Devoted his life to
his inventions and scientific experiments,
becoming the leading scientist in the
Western Hemisphere.
 1757 – representing PA in English
legislature. By 1770, he is representing
the colonies as a whole.
 His hope for reconciliation ended in 1775,
and he returned to America to serve in the
Second Continental Congress.
 He was one of five men who wrote the
rough draft of The Declaration of
Independence.
 1776 – meeting with France and Spain to
get money for the colonial war effort.
 1783 – Helped to write the Treaty of Paris
in which England recognized America’s
independence and ended the Revolution.
Wrote his autobiography while abroad.
 1785 – returned to America – old and ill
 1787 – delegate to the Constitutional
Convention
 Died in 1790
 Other characters created by Franklin:
 Celia Shortface - mocked a former employer
 Busybody – gossip
 Martha Careful
 Anthony Afterwit – comments on marriage
 Alice Addertongue – scandal amid society
 Polly Baker – treatment of women
 Benevolus – published in British press in defense of
America.
 Accomplishments
 Helped to improve Philadelphia’s pavements, street
lighting, sanitation, fire companies, and police force.
 Founded or helped to start a debating club, a hospital,
the American Philosophical Society, the first
circulating library, and the University of
Pennsylvania.
 Studied earthquakes, wind and currents.
 Improved or invented the lightning rod, bifocal
glasses, a gadget for getting books off of high shelves,
a rocking chair that swats flies, the armonica
(instrument using moistened glass bowls, and the
Franklin stove.
 Discovered the properties of electricity.
 WAS AMERICA’S FIRST MILLIONAIRE.
 Because of his humble beginnings, Franklin’s
success has become the symbol of the
American Dream.