preview

Benjamin Franklin Contributions

Decent Essays

It is difficult to ascertain Benjamin Franklin’s strongest points for he was a man of many talents and performed countless services for his country. Franklin always sought ways to utilize his intellectual gifts to benefit those around him. Without his contributions to American society, America would not hold the same value and importance it does today. A greater understanding of what Franklin accomplished can be grasped by observing his early life, adulthood, and important positions in politics. Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. At the time, the colony of Boston was known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His parents were Josiah Franklin, an English-born soap and candle maker, and Abiah Folger. Franklin always had a bright mind for he learned to read at an early age and attended the Boston Latin School. Despite his success in school, Franklin took of from his formal education at the age of ten to work full-time in his father’s bankrupt candle and soap shop. While cutting candlewicks and filling molds, Franklin’s mind often drifted to thoughts of setting sea and exploring the oceans, just as one of his older brothers had done. Franklin’s father had other things in mind for Franklin, so he had him work as an apprentice in Franklin’s brother, Jame’s, printing shop. Franklin considered himself a printer throughout his whole life; even as he moved on to different fields of interest. Though during his apprenticeship James often

Get Access