Benjamin Franklin Essay

In 1731 he established one of the first subscription libraries in America, the Library Company of Philadelphia., under the pen name Richard Saunders. He also helped to found the first firehouse, Philadelphia's Union Fire Company and an insurance company, the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire. In 1737, Ben was appointed deputy postmaster of Philadelphia.

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts.His father was a soap and candle maker and he had a total of 15 children and two wives, Ben was the youngest son. Ben Franklin is most influential for being his contributions of science (electricity), his creations of the almanac/newspapers, and him also being one of the founding fathers of the Declaration of Independence.

Franklin also gave many examples to the reader of his autobiography to practice diligence in minding the company they keep and gave much advice about keeping away from questionable establishments and having nothing to do with scoundrels. He made points to make friendships with people that were of good reputation, men who as himself had interest in education and industry and in his youth many older men whose advice he regarded before many life altering

Massachusetts Bay Colony. Later on in life he died in April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, PA. Franklin attended

Equally important to Franklin’s quest of his and other’s self-improvement is his use of personal illustrations as a means of educating his readers. He frequently points out the errors of his life, which he trusts will serve to benefit others by their not making the same mistakes. One example of Franklin’s humble admissions is concerning the woman his friend James Ralph was involved with. Upon Ralph leaving her, he recommended her to Franklin’s care. The woman, Franklin writes, was often in trouble and asked to borrow money from him. He recounts, “ I grew fond of her company, and being at that time under no religious restraint and presuming upon my importance to her, I attempted familiarities (another erratum) which she repuls’d with a proper resentment and acquainted him with my behavior. This made a breach between us.” (Franklin, p.42) Franklin realized that the mistake he made not only cost him the money Ralph owed him, but it

Indeed, Franklin’s public service and prominent role in the American Revolution later in his life reinforce his willingness to sacrifice and work for the good of others, and we remember Ben Franklin for these accomplishments as somewhat of a revolutionary rock star. On paper, however, he comes across as quite humble and funny, somewhat of everyday man, describing his writing as “rambling Digressions” and noting the “erratum” he made throughout his life (Franklin 473 and 506). Although his character definitely contains his flaws, Franklin seems to be a man that lived to serve others.

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706. His parents was Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. Josiah was a soap and candle maker, he had 17 kids, the first 7 with Anne Child and the last ten with Abiah Folger. Benjamin Franklin was the 15th son. Benjamin went to school at Boston Latin School until he was 10 when he started working with his dad at his soap and candle shop. Ben was uninterested in his father 's work so his brother, James apprenticed Ben at a print shop. Since James wouldn 't print any of his brother 's work, Ben used an alias of "Mrs. Silence Dogood" who

Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts, he is best known as one of the founding fathers that drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. At the age of twelve, he began working as an apprentice in a printing shop his brother, James, owned. When he turned 17, Benjamin left to Philadelphia, which he escaped his apprenticeship, which was against the law. A few months after he left for London, England, where he learned more about printing. Then at the age of 20, he moved back to Philadelphia to continue his career in printing. He became the publisher of the Philadelphia Gazette.

Benjamin Franklin was an American printer and publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and who was a diplomat born on January 17th 1706 and died in Philadelphia on April 17th 1790. Franklin was one of ten sons of seventeen children of a man by the name of Josiah who was a soap and candle maker and mother by the name of Abiah, a discrete and virtuous woman (Van Doren 7). Ben was raised in a Puritan heritage household which they had left to avoid England's Restoration Era of 1683. Franklin had a blend of Puritan heritage, Enlightenment philosophy, and New World environment ideals. Ben Franklin had a fascination public and interpersonal life. Franklin's life consisted of his reflections of his own behaviors and

Benjamin Franklin was born in a Boston, house January 17, 1706, the tenth son of Abiah Folger, daughter of an indentured servant. His father Josiah Franklin was a candlemaker. He went to Boston’s Latin school when he was 8 where everyone thought he was Harvard bound. When he was 12, he was unsure of his religious beliefs and did not divorce himself to school therefore dropping out.

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston, New England. He was the youngest son and was fifteenth out of seventeen children of his father, Josiah Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's father immigrated to Boston from England and established himself as a candle and soap maker. Benjamin Franklin received less than three years of formal education. At eight years of age, Benjamin was put into grammar school to begin his education; however, he was there less than a year when he was sent to a school for writing and arithmetic. At the age of ten, he was taken home to help his father with the soap and candle business. Franklin did not have a particular interest in his father's profession, rather he was more interested in reading and in his autobiography revealed "From a Child I was fond of Reading, and all the little money that came into my Hands was ever laid out in Books. (Masur, Autobiography, p. 36)" When Franklin was twelve years old, his father sent him to be an apprentice to his brother James, the printer. Franklin was to serve as an apprentice until he reached the age of twenty-one. While apprenticing under his brother, Franklin had access to more books and set time aside from work to read and practice writing. At a young age, Franklin became acquainted with the concept of frugality through his newly learned Vegetable Diet. After

Franklin, in 1732, began publishing Poor Richard's almanac. ¨Blizzards, drought, hurricanes- be ready!¨ (Thomas, 97) This book incorporates recipes, homilies, weather reports, etc. This was a huge success and very popular in colonial America. And in fact, the print runs skyrocketed up to 10,000 a year. He published the almanac with “Poor” as a way of relating himself to the everyday people. Even though Franklin was devoted to religion, he was raised in a firm Puritan household. With this being, Poor Richard’s Almanack reflected his Puritan culture in affiliation to being poor. He also named it “Richard” because of Richard Saunders. “Saunders was a poor man who needed money to take care of his carping wife.”(Biography) Franklin set afloat projects to help clean up the streets of

The child of humble origins and with only two years of formal schooling, Franklin achieved much of success. He was awarded multiple honorary degrees from institutions of higher learning. He took great pride in these awards, which included Masters of Arts from Harvard (1753), Yale (1753), and The College of William and Mary (1756), and doctorates from St. Andrews (1759) and Oxford (1762). As a result of his scientific labors, he was elected to the Royal Society in

In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts

Franklin was involved in many well-known public projects. In 1731 he founded what was probably the first public library in America, chartered in 1742 as the Philadelphia Library. He first published Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1732, under the pen name Richard Saunders. This volume quickly gained a reputation for its practical wisdom. In 1736 Franklin became clerk of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the next year he became the deputy postmaster of Philadelphia. About this time, he organized the first fire company in that city and introduced methods and ideas for the improvement of street paving and lighting. Always interested in scientific studies, he devised a means to correct undue smoking of chimneys and invented, around 1744, the Franklin stove, which furnished greater heat with a reduced consumption of fuel.