Ben Franklin Ben Franklin example essay topic

Ben Franklin Ben Franklin became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, and a librarian. Today, we honor Ben Franklin as one of the men who founded America and as one of America's greatest citizens. Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He was the tenth son of soap maker, Josiah Franklin. Though Ben only had one year of schooling he was educated and loved to read and write. He worked as an apprentice to his brother, James, who was a printer, when he was fifteen years old.

At the age of seventeen, Ben ran away and started a new life in Philadelphia as a result of arguments with James. Franklin found work as an apprentice printer and did so well the provincial governor of Pennsylvania promised to set him up a business if he traveled to England to buy supplies. The governor never followed up on his promise and Benjamin was forced to spend several months in England doing print work. On returning home, he opened up his own printing business. Around this period of time, in 1728, Ben fathered a child, William, of whom the mother is not known. Two years later he married his childhood sweetheart, Deborah Read.

Not only did the Franklins own a print shop, they also opened a store selling almost everything and a bookstore. Ben Franklin had many accomplishments and was very successful in life. His newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, was one of the most successful papers in the colonies. He first published Poor Richard's Almanack in 1732. Many famous quotes come from this almanac k. In addition to printing and writing pieces of literature, Ben had many civic contributions.

In 1731 he established one of the first subscription libraries in America, the Library Company of Philadelphia., under the pen name Richard Saunders. He also helped to found the first firehouse, Philadelphia's Union Fire Company and an insurance company, the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire. In 1737, Ben was appointed deputy postmaster of Philadelphia. In 1749, Ben retired from his business career and concentrated on science, experiments, and inventions. He founded the American Philosophical Society, an organization to promote advancements in science. His studies obviously paid off because Ben Franklin was the inventor of several important inventions.

He invented a heat-efficient stove, swim fins, the glass ar monica, and bifocals. Ben's observations, including his kite experiment which verified the nature of electricity and lightening, brought him international fame. Benjamin Franklin was not only a man of scientific accomplishments, but political as well... At first, he went back to England to represent Pennsylvania. He remained in England till 1775 as a Colonies representative for Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

When the British ratified the Stamp Act, Ben helped to persuade Parliament to repeal it. Benjamin Franklin began to support the idea of the Colonies separating from England. He returned home to find that his son William, now the governor of New Jersey, opposed his views. William remained a loyal Englishman. This caused a separation between them that never healed. Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and helped to draft the Declaration of Independence.

He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and sailed to France as an ambassador to the Court of Louis XVI. The government of France signed a Treaty of Alliance with the Americans in 1778. After the Americans had won the Revolution, Franklin signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Franklin returned to America after the Revolutionary War. He became President of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania.

He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution. One of his last public acts was writing an anti-slavery treatise in 1789..