Introduction
Benjamin Franklin is known as the founding father of the United States. He is known as the person who outlined the Declaration of Independence and also drafted the Constitution of the United States. Franklin, born on 17th January 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, is known as a scientist, polymath, investor, diplomat and politician (Franklin, 1967). Aside from drafting the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, he is also known for ending the Revolutionary War in 1783 as he helped to negotiate the Paris Treaty. He made a lot of contributions to the scientific field, like many discoveries in the fields of mathematics, mapmaking and electricity (Schiffer, 2006).
The title of “The First American” was given to Franklin after his tireless campaign for the unity of all the colonies back in the colonial era (Franklin, 1967). He was appointed as the first ambassador of the United States of America to France, where he uplifted the American nation. At the age of 23, he started working for a newspaper and became successful as a printer as well as the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette in Philadelphia, which was known as the leading city in all the colonies (Franklin, 1967). In 1767, he became associated with Pennsylvania Chronicle, which was famous as a newspaper best known for its criticism against the british policies and stimulating the revolutionary sentiments (Franklin, 1967). He took the initiative in 1751 and established the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which was later promoted to the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin organized the American Philosophical Society and was the first secretary of the aforementioned society. Late, he was elected as the president of the society in 1769 (Franklin, 1967).
Discussion
Benjamin Franklin is known as the hero of all Americans by the efforts he made for the unity of all the colonies that were suppressed under British rule. He spearheadedly made an effort and forced the British Parliament to nullify the Stamp Act due to which he is known as the hero of colonies. Franklin was a competent diplomat (Franklin, 1967). While being the first ambassador of the United States to France, he was admired in the said country for being the American minister and was known as a person who helped to build good relations between France and America. The efforts he made to build good relationships with France proved vital during the American Revolution when France provided America with shipments of crucial munitions.
During the American Revolution, he was appointed as the Postmaster General of the United States because of his experience back in the colonial era when he was appointed as the deputy postmaster general. Franklin was very active in community affairs as well as in state and colonial politics, which developed his interest not only in national politics but also in international politics. For some period of time, he was also appointed as the governor of Pennsylvania.
Franklin’s Kids And Wife
Benjamin moved to Philadelphia in 1723, where he met Deborah, who was the daughter of his landlord, and married her in 1730 when she got divorced from her first husband (Franklin, 1967). William was taken in by the couple, who was out of the wedlock. Later, Franklin became the father of a son named Francis in 1732, but at the age of he died due to smallpox (Franklin, 1967). Then, Deborah gave birth to a daughter named Sarah in 1743. Benjamin moved to London two times in 1757 and in 1764, but Deborah refused both times to move with Franklin as she did not want to leave Philadelphia (Franklin, 1967). While moving to London for the second time in 1764, it was the last time Franklin saw his wife, Deborah as he could not come back to Philadelphia before she passed away due to a stroke in 1774 (Franklin, 1967). In 1762, Franklin, due to his political connections, somehow managed to make his son William Franklin the royal governor of New Jersey (Franklin, 1967). But later on, when Franklin changed his position and became loyal to the colonists and started supporting them, he put himself at odds with his loyal governer son, who was later imprisoned.
Franklin: As An Inventor And Scientist
Franklin is also known for his services to science. During the 1740’s he expanded into entrepreneurship and science (Franklin, 1967). His pamphlet A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge is a document that led to the foundation of the American Philosophical Society, which was the very first society created for the colonists. In 1748, he was known as the richest man in Pennsylvania. He also joined the Pennsylvania militia and became a soldier at the age of 42 (Franklin, 1967). To give more time to science and for further experiments, he turned over his printing business to one of his partners.
Franklin And Slavery
In 1748, Franklin bought the first of his slaves so that he could work for them in his new shop. Over the period of time, Franklin’s views about slavery changed, and finally, in 1760, he freed all of his slaves (Franklin, 1967). Franklin was known as a person who believed in slavery, but after some time, he became an active and prominent abolitionist and started campaigns for the end of slavery because of the economic perspectives.
Was Fanklin The President Of The US?
Benjamin Franklin never became the president of the United States. He was never elected as president. But he played a very important role in the foundation of the US. He was one of the seven founding fathers. He helped a lot in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence as well as in the making id the Constitution of the United States. He fought the election for the Pennsylvania assembly and got elected there. He was also appointed as the postmaster general during the first Revolution War. Due to his services towards America, he was given the title of “The First American”.
When And How Benjamin Franklin Died?
At the age of 84, Franklin died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at his daughter’s home (Schiffer, 2006). He was suffering from gout and was complaining of many other diseases for the last one and a half years. He gifted most of his wealth to his daughter Sarah and very few to William, from whom he was disappointed as he opposed him during the patriot cause (Schiffer, 2006). He also gave money to many charity homes, which gave funds for different scholarships and building schools in Philadelphia and Boston.
Legacy And Accomplishments Of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin was a man who never completed his school, but still, through his thorough study and the experiences that he got from different experiments, has created many things that could never be done by a single man. His image on the $100 bill, the foundation of many different schools, societies, universities and libraries, giving the United States a fledge foreign policy, the foundation of the post office, efforts in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, drafting of the Constitution, publishing different newspapers, different advancements in the science field, warming the world with the Franklin stove, advancements in the field of electricity are some of the major accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin (Isaacson, 2003). The work done by Franklin is still getting the attention of Americans even decades after his death.
Works Cited
Franklin, Benjamin, and William MacDonald. Autobiography. Grolier, 1967.
Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Simon and Schuster, 2003.
Schiffer, Michael Brian. Draw the lightning down: Benjamin Franklin and electrical technology in the age of enlightenment. Univ of California Press, 2006.
Cite This Work
To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:
