"Energy and persistance conquer all things."
In 1729, the Pennsylvania Gazette was bought by Ben Franklin. He printed the paper and contributed to it under various aliases. His newspaper would become the most successful in the colonies, and would print the first political cartoon, written by Ben truly.
During the 1720s and 1730s, Franklin became interested in civics. He organized the Junto, a young working-man's group dedicated to self and civic improvement. He joined the Masons. He became a very busy man who was socially elite.
Franklin carried through his civic work throughout the 1730s and 1740s. He helped create projects to better Philadelphia's roads. He began advocating for environmental clean up. Among the most important accomplishments of Franklin was helping to start the Library Company in 1731. At this time in history books were an rare and very expensive. Franklin realized that by combining resources, people could afford to buy books. This thought conceived our country's first library.
In 1743, he assisted in the launch of the American Philosophical Society, one of the first learned societies in the United States of America. Noticing that the city needed better help with their sick citizens, Franklin organized a group who formed the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751. The Library Company, Philosophical Society, and Pennsylvania Hospital are all in existence today.
Fires were a very dangerous threat to Philadelphians in the 1700s, so Franklin set his sights trying to fix the situation. In 1736, he organized Philadelphia's Union Fire Company, the first in the city. His famous saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is used as fire-fighting advice.Those who suffered fire damage to their homes suffered major economic loss. So, in 1752, Franklin helped to found the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance against Loss by Fire. Those with insurance policies were not wiped out financially. The Contributionship is still in business today.
Franklin's printing business was thriving greatly in the 1730s and 1740s. He also started setting up franchise printing partnerships in other cities. By 1749 he retired from business and started concentrating on science, experiments, and inventions. This field was nothing new to Franklin. In 1743, he had already invented a heat-efficient stove — called the Franklin stove — to help warm houses efficiently. Because the stove was invented to help improve society, he refused to take out a patent on his invention. In fact, he patented none of his inventions at all.
Among Franklin's other inventions are swim fins, the glass armonica (a musical instrument) and bifocals.
In the early 1750's he turned to the study of electricity. His observations, including his kite experiment which verified the nature of electricity and lightning brought Franklin international fame.
Politics became an active interest for Franklin in the 1750s. In 1757, he went to England to represent Pennsylvania in its fight with the descendants of the Penn family over who should represent the Colony. He remained in England until 1775 as a Colonial representative of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts as well.
Franklin considered himself a loyal Englishman. England had many of the amenities that America lacked. He kept asking Deborah to come visit him in England. He had thoughts of staying there permanently, but she was afraid of traveling by ship.
In 1765, Franklin was caught by surprise by America's overwhelming opposition to the Stamp Act. His testimony before Parliament helped persuade the members to repeal the law. He started wondering if America should break free of England. Ben, though he had many friends in England, was growing sick of the corruption he saw all around him in politics and royal circles. Franklin, who had proposed a plan for united colonies in 1754, now would start putting all of his effort toward that common goal of freedom.
Franklin's “break-up” with England happened in the "Hutchinson Affair." Thomas Hutchinson was an English-appointed governor of Massachusetts. Although he pretended to take the side of the people of Massachusetts in their complaints against England, he was actually still working for the King. Franklin got a hold of some letters in which Hutchinson called for "an abridgment of what are called English Liberties" in America. He sent the letters to America where many people were outraged. After leaking the letters Franklin was called to Whitehall, the English Foreign Ministry, where he was denounced in public.
Franklin soon returned home to America where he began working actively for Independence. He naturally thought that his son William, now the Royal governor of New Jersey, would agree with his views. However, he did not, and William remained a Loyal Englishman. This caused a tear between the father and son relationship which would never be healed.
Franklin was added to the Second Continental Congress and worked with a group of five individuals that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Though most of the writing is Thomas Jefferson's, a lot of the work is Franklin's. In 1776 Franklin signed the Declaration, and afterward sailed to France as an ambassador to the Court of Louis XVI.
The French admired Franklin. To them, he was the untouchable yet humble man who had tamed lightning. He was fluent in French, and he was also quite the ladies man. Several years after his wife, Deborah had died Benjamin became a gigantic flirt.
In part via Franklin's popularity, the government of France signed a Treaty of Alliance with the Americans in 1778. Franklin also helped to secure loans and persuade the French they were doing the right thing. Franklin was on hand to sign the Treaty of Paris in 1783, after the Americans had won the Revolution.
n his late seventies, Franklin returned to America. 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 treaty in 1789, which was never completed.
On April 17th, 1790, at the age of 84, Benjamin Franklin passed away. A whopping 20,000 people attended the funerial of Benjamin Franklin, who was dubbed as "the harmonious human multitude." A very fitting name, I think.
During the 1720s and 1730s, Franklin became interested in civics. He organized the Junto, a young working-man's group dedicated to self and civic improvement. He joined the Masons. He became a very busy man who was socially elite.
Franklin carried through his civic work throughout the 1730s and 1740s. He helped create projects to better Philadelphia's roads. He began advocating for environmental clean up. Among the most important accomplishments of Franklin was helping to start the Library Company in 1731. At this time in history books were an rare and very expensive. Franklin realized that by combining resources, people could afford to buy books. This thought conceived our country's first library.
In 1743, he assisted in the launch of the American Philosophical Society, one of the first learned societies in the United States of America. Noticing that the city needed better help with their sick citizens, Franklin organized a group who formed the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751. The Library Company, Philosophical Society, and Pennsylvania Hospital are all in existence today.
Fires were a very dangerous threat to Philadelphians in the 1700s, so Franklin set his sights trying to fix the situation. In 1736, he organized Philadelphia's Union Fire Company, the first in the city. His famous saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is used as fire-fighting advice.Those who suffered fire damage to their homes suffered major economic loss. So, in 1752, Franklin helped to found the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance against Loss by Fire. Those with insurance policies were not wiped out financially. The Contributionship is still in business today.
Franklin's printing business was thriving greatly in the 1730s and 1740s. He also started setting up franchise printing partnerships in other cities. By 1749 he retired from business and started concentrating on science, experiments, and inventions. This field was nothing new to Franklin. In 1743, he had already invented a heat-efficient stove — called the Franklin stove — to help warm houses efficiently. Because the stove was invented to help improve society, he refused to take out a patent on his invention. In fact, he patented none of his inventions at all.
Among Franklin's other inventions are swim fins, the glass armonica (a musical instrument) and bifocals.
In the early 1750's he turned to the study of electricity. His observations, including his kite experiment which verified the nature of electricity and lightning brought Franklin international fame.
Politics became an active interest for Franklin in the 1750s. In 1757, he went to England to represent Pennsylvania in its fight with the descendants of the Penn family over who should represent the Colony. He remained in England until 1775 as a Colonial representative of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts as well.
Franklin considered himself a loyal Englishman. England had many of the amenities that America lacked. He kept asking Deborah to come visit him in England. He had thoughts of staying there permanently, but she was afraid of traveling by ship.
In 1765, Franklin was caught by surprise by America's overwhelming opposition to the Stamp Act. His testimony before Parliament helped persuade the members to repeal the law. He started wondering if America should break free of England. Ben, though he had many friends in England, was growing sick of the corruption he saw all around him in politics and royal circles. Franklin, who had proposed a plan for united colonies in 1754, now would start putting all of his effort toward that common goal of freedom.
Franklin's “break-up” with England happened in the "Hutchinson Affair." Thomas Hutchinson was an English-appointed governor of Massachusetts. Although he pretended to take the side of the people of Massachusetts in their complaints against England, he was actually still working for the King. Franklin got a hold of some letters in which Hutchinson called for "an abridgment of what are called English Liberties" in America. He sent the letters to America where many people were outraged. After leaking the letters Franklin was called to Whitehall, the English Foreign Ministry, where he was denounced in public.
Franklin soon returned home to America where he began working actively for Independence. He naturally thought that his son William, now the Royal governor of New Jersey, would agree with his views. However, he did not, and William remained a Loyal Englishman. This caused a tear between the father and son relationship which would never be healed.
Franklin was added to the Second Continental Congress and worked with a group of five individuals that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Though most of the writing is Thomas Jefferson's, a lot of the work is Franklin's. In 1776 Franklin signed the Declaration, and afterward sailed to France as an ambassador to the Court of Louis XVI.
The French admired Franklin. To them, he was the untouchable yet humble man who had tamed lightning. He was fluent in French, and he was also quite the ladies man. Several years after his wife, Deborah had died Benjamin became a gigantic flirt.
In part via Franklin's popularity, the government of France signed a Treaty of Alliance with the Americans in 1778. Franklin also helped to secure loans and persuade the French they were doing the right thing. Franklin was on hand to sign the Treaty of Paris in 1783, after the Americans had won the Revolution.
n his late seventies, Franklin returned to America. 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 treaty in 1789, which was never completed.
On April 17th, 1790, at the age of 84, Benjamin Franklin passed away. A whopping 20,000 people attended the funerial of Benjamin Franklin, who was dubbed as "the harmonious human multitude." A very fitting name, I think.
This is a Franklin Stove, one of Benjamin's many useful inventions.