Benjamin Franklin the Inventor Benjamin Franklin is recognized as one of the greatest Americans ever. He contributed to the advancement of our country in many different ways. Since Franklin was a statesman, journalist, diplomat, inventor, and philosopher he was always in the middle of everything of importance. It is arguable which of these appositives best describes him. One thing that can not be disputed is that he is the greatest inventor ever. To be forty-two in Franklin’s time was to be well beyond middle age. Life was much shorter then. He never guessed he would live to double that age. Since retirement was not forced upon him, he felt no depression for cutting himself off from his work. This is when he …show more content…
It warmed rooms better, and at the same time saved fuel. The important feature was the flue, which doubled back and formed sort of a radiator around which warm air circulated. It cured most smoky chimneys, thus protecting both the eyes and the furniture. He turned over his model to a friend with an iron furnace, who cast the plates for the stoves. They were soon in great demand as people learned about them through a pamphlet Ben wrote and printed. (Osborne pg.66) Benjamin was as much interested in ventilating rooms as in warming them. He believed it healthier to keep windows open and let in fresh air, a practice that annoyed many of his friends. To keep rooms warmer in cold weather, he developed a damper, a metal plate that fits horizontally into the base of the chimney passage and can completely close it off, or when opened a small distance, creates a slight draft, allowing smoke to go up the chimney while keeping most of the warm air in the room. (Meltzer pg.116) To improve the lighting of rooms, he devised a new candle made from whale oil. It gave a clearer and whiter light, could be held in the hand without softening, and its drippings did not make grease spots. His candles lasted much longer and needed little or no snuffing. He also developed a four-sided lamp to light the city streets. The lamps stayed clean much longer and thus gave more light. (Meltzer pg.116) Franklin’s experiments in so many
This selection gives interesting insight into the world of Franklin, relating both to his everyday habits, and his reactions to the Enlightenment. There was one very interesting, but small segment, towards the end of the selection. It read, ‘It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection; I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into .. . . But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined.’ This particular section of the source was very revealing of Franklin’s character. Throughout the entire paper, Franklin had discussed different aspects of his upbringing, and current lifestyle, however this quote reveals more about the man behind the paper than anything else. Yet, he spent most of the text comparing his life to religious teachings, and the paths that the Enlightenment opened.
Ben Franklin became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, and a librarian. Today, we honor Ben Franklin as one of the men who founded America and as one of America's greatest citizens.
Franklin sites a strong work ethic throughout his autobiography as a means of advancement in life. At 17 years of age, he ran away to New York and the first thing he did was to seek suitable employment. After experiencing many a hardship Franklin remained resolved and finally established himself in Philadelphia were he found work and much favor with whomever he acquainted himself with. He firmly was against wasting time on frivolous activities and encouraged the reader to mind their business and be industrious in all things. This too was a practice he implemented his whole life and was the reason he was rewarded on several occasions with better opportunities and advancement in business.
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most successful founding fathers of our nation and helped establish American independence from Great Britain. He was a key member in the development of the political backbone that has shaped this country into what it is today. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most humble and inspirational figures of that time. He was a major factor in the outcome of the war of Independence and in his selfless actions of leaving his family, won the help from the French to assist America in the fight against England. Although Benjamin Franklin never made it to be president he was a leader among his peers. He invented many things that we still use today such as the library, bifocals, and the postal service. He helped
In return, all James did was slander Benjamin’s name throughout the community so he wouldn’t be able to find work anywhere else. This was a big challenge for Benjamin because not only did he have a bad name that lasted quite a long time but he also had to force himself to move to distant places like New York and Pennsylvania. He had to travel under dangerous conditions across seas to find another job. Also another challenge Benjamin faced after leaving his fathers job, was that he couldn’t find a long stable and suitable job for himself. He always faced problems at every new job he joined. On his way to New York, Benjamin meets Bradford, who was not able to offer him any jobs. But he refers Benjamin to his son Andrew who was a printer in Pennsylvania. When Benjamin gets to Pennsylvania, Andrew did not have a job to offer him. Then Andrew refers him to go work for Keimer, who is also another printer. Although Keimer gave Benjamin work, but it doesn’t last long. He later stops living with Keimer and ends up leaving the job. From these events in his life we are able to see the cycle and pattern, and he might face similar challenges in the future. Benjamin gets pushed around from places to places to find a jobs with very few people recognizing his ability and passion to write, and how much of an intellectual, he was. He wasn’t able to save up his money due
This ingenious invention helped avert a natural disaster from occurring. Many people's lives changed once lightening rods appeared on church steeples and tall buildings. It gave them a large sense of security. Prior to the installation of these lightening rods the homes, towns and cities were at high risk for burning due to lighting strikes. It was unfortunately a common event. One fire could bring down half a town and cost many lives. Thanks to Mr. Franklin, fires caused by lightning strikes were averted. The lightening rod was placed on buildings, homes and even boats (Morgan 13). His invention actually saved lives of people and saved an unmeasurable amount of money. Franklin's design of the lightening rod remains the basis of modern lightening codes up to today.
Parts three and four are the business portions of The Autobiography. Part three, the longest of the four sections, began in 1788. This portion “marks a gradual change in focus from personal anecdotes and advice on virtue to a comparatively dry rendering of his public activities and Philadelphia’s political concerns” (Moss and Wilson 26). His change in topic, however, is not all boring. He describes his success in his everyday life. For example, Franklin discusses his jobs and, more in depth, the part he played in the French and Indian War. He also briefly talks about his inventions and experiments with electricity. All of his involvements back up the belief of his being a man of the Enlightenment period. He strived to succeed and never settled for less. This is evident in part four of The Autobiography. Franklin discusses his travels to England, where he acts as a financial advisor (Moss and Wilson 26).
He explained that a burning candle would go out if a candle snuffer was put over it because the air inside the snuffer became saturated with phlogiston. According to his ideas, wood is made up of phlogiston and ash,
Benjamin began college in September 1850, and he was known as a “smart, stern, quiet, and religious student.” He followed his father’s stern teaching and joined the local Presbyterian Church. He did not have much of a social life outside of class and did not spend much time with his fellow classmates. Even though, Benjamin quickly discovered that he had a gift for public speaking. He impressed his teachers and peers alike with his words and his fluent thinking. He joined the Union Literary society, a club at his local college, and became its president. Members of the club discussed various subjects that Benjamin enjoyed, such as politics, literature, world history, American history, and speech. Benjamin even gave speeches on these subjects to his classmates and his teachers.
Benjamin Franklin is revered by Americans as one of its most revered and adored founding fathers. For foreigners, Benjamin Franklin became the very icon of America, not only because he was accomplished, but because he was a new man, a man that could only have been made in America. Franklin came to be seen as the embodiment of American values.
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
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a detailed account of the illustrious experiences of Benjamin Franklin. Though the cultural differences in writing has changed since the 18th century one can learn a lot about one of America’s greatest forefathers through this book. It accounts for Franklin’s life when he was born January 17th, 1706 till the year 1757. Unfortunately, he died in 1790 and was never able to finish his autobiography. However, the book thoroughly details the early life of Benjamin Franklin.
It was the year 1706 in Boston, MA when Benjamin Franklin entered the world. Birthed after fourteen other siblings, Franklin's family structure is only one deciding factor in the way that this legendary tale pans out. A hero of American Revolution, this novel depicts 18th century realism accurately while logging Franklin's personal conception on human nature and social community. Many look at Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography as your typical rags to riches tale yet, the truth and falsehood throughout the pages is unknown, raising many questions and concerns. As this book was written in segments over a stretched period of time, we must analyze this account of his life, the struggles and successes which took place, and the outcome of such
Benjamin Franklin was one of the first and most famous scientists in America. He was a man of many talents and interests. Franklin was always curios about they way things work, and he always tried to find ways to make them work better. Even though he started out as a published, he was always interested in science. However this interest soon became a passion to Franklin. He even retired from his publishing business to work in a laboratory with his mostly homemade equipment. Throughout his life Benjamin Franklin made many important discoveries and theories which greatly influenced future scientists and inventors.
In spite of the fact that Franklin was hardly a puritan, he was nevertheless very much a child of the Puritans. This is not displayed merely in his promotion of the virtues, but in his abstaining from excessiveness in eating, drinking, conversation, or whatever. Franklin is strongly influenced with self-governance In numerous ways, this is, to someone coming to it for the first time, a very amazing book. Franklin is, of course, one of the most celebrated Americans who ever lived, and his credentials in a wide arrangement of endeavors are a part of American knowledge and popular history. A great deal of this knowledge and numerous of his accomplishments are missing from this account of his life. He never finished the autobiography, earlier in his life on account of the fact that he was too engaged with what he terms public employment’s, and later in life by virtue of the opium he was taking for kidney stones left him incapable to concentrate adequately. Had Franklin been able to write about every period of his life and all of his achievements, his autobiography would have been one of the most exceptional and outstanding documents every produced. It is astonishingly imperious. However, his record as an office-holder is stained by the use he made of his position to advance his relatives. He was one of the most important statesmen in the new America and was a historical figure who shaped our nations history. He was a very