Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American statesman whose efforts were critical to the success of the American Revolution. In the political arena, he worked as a diplomat in France and England, as well as serving in both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He worked with Thomas Jefferson on writing the Declaration of Independence and was instrumental in facilitating compromises in the U.S. Constitution.

Franklin was also a noted scientist, philosopher, journalist, and inventor.

Early Life

Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts into a Puritan family. His father was Josiah Franklin, a soap and candle maker, that was twice married and had 17 children. Originally Josiah planned for his son to enter the ministry, but after 2 years of schooling changed his mind. Benjamin briefly worked as an apprentice under his father before being apprenticed to his brother James, who was a printer, at the age of 12. After losing the contract to print one of Boston's newspapers, James created the first independent newspaper in the colonies, a weekly publication called the New England Courant. The Courant became Franklin's first public forum and he began writing essays under the pseudonym Silence Dogood. Franklin, taking the position of a widow, wrote 14 essays between April and October 1722. The Courant would draw the attention of the local authorities, who prohibited James from publishing it, because they claimed it mocked religion. In order to continue printing, James released his brother from his apprenticeship and named him the publisher. Control would eventually be handed back over to James, but Benjamin would use this release to run away to Philadelphia in 1723 at the age of 17.

In Philadelphia, he found work as a printer working for Samuel Keimer. Franklin was persuaded by governor William Keith that he needed to go into business for himself. Offering letters of credit, he suggested Franklin go to London to purchase equipment. When he arrived in London on Christmas Eve, 1724, he found that Keith had no credit to provide. Deciding to make the most of the situation, he found work at local print shops. In July of 1726, he would return to Philadelphia with the aide of Thomas Denham, a Quaker merchant he had met on his voyage to London. Denham paid for Franklin's trip in exchange for work in his general store. After a short employment with Denham, Franklin was forced to return to Keimer's print shop. Again, Franklin would not stay in Keimer's service long, and in 1728, with the backing of the father of his fellow apprentice and partner Hugh Meredith, went into business for themselves. Meredith would soon be bought out giving Franklin full control of his own print shop.