He was against slavery as an institution. He nurtured his appearance and reputation “I took care not only to be in reality industrious and frugal but to avoid all appearances of the contrary”. He also published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack.įranklin was an ambitious entrepreneur, disciplined and industrious, working hard until late at night. This legacy is framed and hanged in many newsroom walls in America. Franklin wrote: “Printers are educated in the belief that when men differ in opinion, both sides ought equally to have the advantage of being heard by the public, and that when Truth and Error have fair play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter”. His training as a craftsman made him more accomplished as an inventor.Īs a journalist his most important journalistic influence was his brother James who is considered the first fighter for journalistic freedom in America. His approach was more practical than theoretical. He invented bifocal glasses, charted the Gulf Stream, invented a clean burning stove and proposed theories on the contagiousness of the common cold. He proved by flying a kite that lightning was electricity and invented a rod to prevent it from hitting buildings. This was long before governments began to provide services to their citizens.īenjamin Franklin was also a scientist. Franklin was also a founder of the Pennsylvania Hospital, built for those who could not afford care, he built institutions for the mentally disabled, a lending library, fire corps and insurance. His projects gradually became more ambitious and included creating pensions, providing welfare for widows, creating a volunteer militia, and building the University of Pennsylvania to educate the middle class children.

One of his first public projects was to organize a block watch and raise money to pave and clean Philadelphia roads. He strove to improve himself cultivating personal virtues and taking on public projects for the benefit of society. He had the talent of being at ease with any company, from tradesmen to scholars, merchants and the European elite. However he was rooted in reality and always acknowledging his background and, as in the opening of his will and testament, referring himself as “B.F. With only 2 years of formal education he rose to the highest level of society. The American Constitution and The Treaty of Paris.įranklin was born in a middle class family on Januin the City of Boston, he was the 15 th of 17 children and the youngest son.

He is best known as one of our Founding Fathers and the only one who signed all three documents that freed America from Britain: The Declaration of Independence. Franklin was 70 years old and the oldest delegate.īenjamin Franklin was America’s scientist, inventor, politician, philanthropist and business man. Benjamin Franklin was among the 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence.

The autobiography of benjamin franklin