Ben+Franklin

Article by Konnor Grimek

Background/Achievements Ben Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706. At age seventeen, Franklin ran away to **Philadelphia**, Pennsylvania. He worked as a compositor in a printing shop. In 1731, Franklin had help create the first public library in America, the Library Company of Philadelphia. In 1730, he married Deborah Read. They had a daughter, Sarah. Franklin also had an illegitimate son named William, who Franklin confirmed was his own. Then in 1733, Franklin had begun writing Poor Richard's Almanac, which still runs to this day. Franklin was also an inventor. Franklin also started the first fire department, which he started in Philadelphia in 1736. He is very famous for his discovery of electricity when the story him tying a key to the bottom of kite then waiting to see if lighting would strike, which it did, and Franklin invented the first lighting rod. He invented other things such as glass harmonica, bifocals, and the stove. Franklin has also coined many turn of phrases such as "a penny saved is a penny earned", and "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away". Franklin was the one of the greatest minds of his times, doing a little bit of everything. Revolution At the time of rumblings of a revolution, Franklin was in Europe acting as an ambassador. During that time he met with British Parliament and met with King Louis in France. He did draw an extremely important picture of what he thought about the struggle between the American Colonies and Great Britain, which was the famous picture of the separated snake. When he returned in May of 1776, the revolution had already begun with a few minor battles of Lexington and Concord. Pennsylvania had then names him their delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He was also one of the five asked to draft the Declaration of Independence. Then in December he was elected to be an ambassador to France. In France is where his greatest accomplishments to the American Revolution took place. He spent 9 years there from 1776 to 1785. In 1778, he got France to agree to the **Treaty of Paris,** which was extremely important because France agreed to send ships and troops to help the Colonies troops. Even though he never stepped on the battlefield, his contributions were extremely important in America's Victory. Post Revolution/Constitution After the Revolution, the new country's **Articles of Confederation** were not working out, so they called another convention to settle these problems. In 1787 at Philadelphia, delegates from each state debated once again, and this time is would determine how the new nation would work. Franklin's appearance there and suggestions of a bicameral legislature led to compromises from the small states and larger states. His contributions again led to agreement and success. Ben Franklin died on April 4 1790, and lived to be 84 years old and during those 84 years he accomplished more than probably any other human being ever to date. He was truly a renaissance man, and was a jack of all trades, but most of all he was an American.