Franklin Benjamin was born on January 6, 1706, in Milk Street in Boston. His was the youngest son in a family of seventeen.Benjamin stopped going to school at ten, and at twelve he was working with his brother who was a printer who made a publication by the name “New England Courant.” Benjamin contributed to this journal and at a point he became a nominal editor .A quarrel broke between him and his brother and he ran away to New York then to Philadelphia. He got work as a printer but Governor Keith induced him to go to London but things didn’t go as expected .He become a compositor in London until he was brought back by a man named Denmark who after his death Benjamin went back to his trade and opened a printing shop. In 1727 he founded the Junto, or “Leathern Apron” Club. He then opened a printing office with Huge Meredith .He became a proprietor and editor of the “Pennsylvania Gazette “; prints anonymously, “Nature band necessity of paper currency”; opens a stationers shop.

Benjamin got married in 1730 to Rebecca Read .He then founded the Philadelphia Library and published the first number of “poor Richards Almanac” under the pseudonym of “Richards Saunders.” The Almanac, which went on twenty five years to contain witty, worldly saying played a major role in bringing together and as well molding the American character .In 1738, he began to study French, Italian, Spanish and Latin . He was later chosen as the clerk of the General assembly and he formed the Union fire company of Philadelphia. He then invented the open or the so called Franklin stove. In 1743 he proposes the plan for an academy and the plan was adopted in 1949 and developed into the University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin established the American philosophical society. He published a pamphlet known as the plain truth on the necessity for disciplined defense and forms a military company.

In 1748 he sells out his printing business and he is then appointed as the commission of peace, chosen to the Common council and to the assembly. In the assembly He is appointed as a commissioner to trade with the Indians. Two years later, he aids in founding a hospital after which he experiments with a kite and discovers that lightning is an electrical discharge. In 1953, He was awarded the Copley medal for the discovery and elected a member of the Royal society; Receives the degree of MA from Yale and Harvard. He was then appointed as one of the commissioners from Pennsylvania to the colonial congress where he proposes a plan to unite the colonies. Later he pledged his personal property to raise the supply for the Braddock’s army which led to his appointment as a colonel .Benjamin introduced a bill to the assembly to pave the streets of Philadelphia. In the same year that 1757 he published his famous “way to wealth”.

In 1760, Benjamin secured from the Privy Council a decision obliging the Proprietary estates to contribute to the public revenue. After two years of the compromise, he receives the Degree of LL.D. from oxford and Edinburg and returns to America. He then toured the northern colonies for five months purposely to inspect the post offices. In 1964 was defeated by the Penn faction for reelection to the assembly and was sent to England as an agent of Pennsylvania .In 1965 he sought to prevent the passage of the Stamp Act and this led to him being examined before the house of the commons. The same year he was appointed as the agent of Massachusetts, New Jersey and Georgia and he visited Gottingen University. In 1767, he travelled in France and was presented in court. He then procured a telescope for Harvard College in 1769.In 1772 he was elected as Associe Estranger of the French Academy. After 2 years he was dismissed from the office of Post master -General and he managed to influence Thomas Paine to immigrate to America.

He returned to America in 1775 and was chosen as a delegate to the second continental congress. In the same year he was placed on the committee of secret correspondence and appointed one of the commissioners to secure the cooperation of Canada. In 1976, Benjamin was placed on the committee that was to] draft a declaration of independence and he was then chosen as the president of the constitutional committee of Pennsylvania and was then sent to France as the agent of the colonies. He then concluded treaties of defensive alliance and of amity and commerce then received in court.

In 1779, He was appointed as the minister Plenipotentiary to France. He then appoints Paul Jones as the commander of the Alliance after one year. In 1782 he signed the preliminary article of peace and 1983 signed the definite treaty of peace. In 1785.Benjamin franklin returned to America and was chosen as the president of Pennsylvania and was reelected as the president in 1786.In the year 1787 he was again reelected as the president and was sent as the delegate to the convention for framing a Federal Constitution. Benjamin franklin retired from politics in 1788 .He died on April 17, 1790 and is grave is in the churchyard at fifth and Arch streets, Philadelphia.

References

Franklin, B. (2007). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: 1706-1757 (Vol. 1). Regnery Publishing.

Franklin, B. (1882). The Works of Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography. pt. 2. Continuation, by Jared Sparks. Appendix(Vol. 1). T. MacCoun.

Masur, L. P. (1993). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.