Background of Ben Franklin

  • He lived from 1706-1790
  • From his teen years to his retirement at forty-two, Benjamin Franklin worked as a printer
    • He got started as an apprentice to his brother, James Franklin, a Boston printer
    • By the time he was sixteen, he was writing parts of his brother's newspaper
    • He used the name "Silence Dogood" and made fun of daily life and politics
    • At seventeen, he moved to Philadelphia.
      • It was there he published Poor Richard's Almanack from 1732 to 1757; it contained information, observations, and advice and was very popular with his readers
    • He earned a reputation as a talented writer with the Alamanack
  • At age forty-two, he retired from the printing business to devote himself to science
    • Some of his inventions were the
      • Lightning rod
      • Bifocals
      • A new type of stove
    • He confirmed the laws of electricity and contributed to the scientific understanding of earthquakes and ocean current.
  • Franklin played an important role in
    • Drafting the Declaration of Independence
    • Enlisting French support during the Revolutionary War
    • Negotiating a peace treaty with Britain
    • Drafting the United States Constitution
  • He was an ambassador first to England and then to France
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