"All would live long, but none would be old."
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17th, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a skilled soap maker. Ben’s mother, Abiah Folger was the second wife of Josiah. Mr. Franklin had 17 siblings in all.
Benjamin’s dad wanted him to be in the clergy, but he didn’t have enough money to send him to school for more than one year. Instead, Ben became an apprentice of his brother James, who happened to be a printer. By age 12, Benjamin was selling their products throughout the streets of Boston.
Ben’s brother started the first “newspaper” in Boston, titled The New England Courant. James’s paper included articles, editorials composed by his friends, ads and ship schedules. Ben, 15 at the time, wanted to write for the paper but his brother would not let him due to the fact that he was only a mere apprentice. Finally, Ben stopped waiting and began to write a series of fake letters signed with an invalid alias, Silence Dogood. The letters were mainly filled with advice and were known for criticizing issues in the world, such as women’s rights. After sneaking 16 letters under the print shop’s door at night, Ben admitted that Silence Dogood had really been him the whole time. James’s friends were amused at Ben’s mischief, but his brother was not as happy. He became jealous of all the attention paid to his younger brother.
Soon, the Franklin family found themselves in a feud with the Mathers, one of Boston’s most powerful Puritan groups. They had opposing viewpoints on inoculation, and James often published his offending opinion on the topic in his newspaper. Although most people agreed with the Franklins on inoculation, they didn’t appreciate the way James poked fun at the clergy. James was eventually jailed for his harsh views and Benjamin was left to run the newspaper.
When James was released from jail, he was not grateful towards his little brother for watching over his newspaper. Instead of thanking him, he harassed him and even brutally beat him on occasion. In 1723, Ben was fed up with the way he had been treated and decided to become a runaway. Running away was illegal in Early America, so this was quite a big risk. But Ben took a boat to New York anyways, where he wished to work as a printer. However, his plans did not follow through, and he ended up walking through New Jersey and taking a boat to Philadelphia.
Benjamin’s dad wanted him to be in the clergy, but he didn’t have enough money to send him to school for more than one year. Instead, Ben became an apprentice of his brother James, who happened to be a printer. By age 12, Benjamin was selling their products throughout the streets of Boston.
Ben’s brother started the first “newspaper” in Boston, titled The New England Courant. James’s paper included articles, editorials composed by his friends, ads and ship schedules. Ben, 15 at the time, wanted to write for the paper but his brother would not let him due to the fact that he was only a mere apprentice. Finally, Ben stopped waiting and began to write a series of fake letters signed with an invalid alias, Silence Dogood. The letters were mainly filled with advice and were known for criticizing issues in the world, such as women’s rights. After sneaking 16 letters under the print shop’s door at night, Ben admitted that Silence Dogood had really been him the whole time. James’s friends were amused at Ben’s mischief, but his brother was not as happy. He became jealous of all the attention paid to his younger brother.
Soon, the Franklin family found themselves in a feud with the Mathers, one of Boston’s most powerful Puritan groups. They had opposing viewpoints on inoculation, and James often published his offending opinion on the topic in his newspaper. Although most people agreed with the Franklins on inoculation, they didn’t appreciate the way James poked fun at the clergy. James was eventually jailed for his harsh views and Benjamin was left to run the newspaper.
When James was released from jail, he was not grateful towards his little brother for watching over his newspaper. Instead of thanking him, he harassed him and even brutally beat him on occasion. In 1723, Ben was fed up with the way he had been treated and decided to become a runaway. Running away was illegal in Early America, so this was quite a big risk. But Ben took a boat to New York anyways, where he wished to work as a printer. However, his plans did not follow through, and he ended up walking through New Jersey and taking a boat to Philadelphia.