Ben Franklin Essay

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Benjamin Franklin: A Day in The Life

One man stands out in history because of his laundry list of achievements and huge presence in the development of the United States of America. This man is responsible for inventions that change the way every single person lives their lives, and without him, we may not be where we are today. His revelations and placement in history altered the world and created a format for many great men to follow. This man is Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin lived for eighty five years and during his time on the planet, he completely altered history and made some of the greatest impacts to date. He was born January 17, 1706, and had many roles throughout his life. Named, “One of the Founding Fathers of the United States,” he wore multiple hats besides just being a politician. The list goes on and on but his major positions included publisher, author, postmaster, scientist, printer, diplomat, inventor, satirist, activist, and statesman. Born in New England, more specifically, Boston, Ben was born into one of the most political areas of the time. Boston was a hotbed for conflict, activism, and political life. Benjamin Franklin’s early years also consisted of an enriched family life as he was born the tenth son to his father, who in all fathered seventeen children. His mother was Josiah Franklin’s second wife. Benjamin’s parents were intent on his entry into the clergy; yet, due to a lack of funds, he was unable to take this route. Religion was important to the Franklin family, even if they could not afford to school Benjamin in religious studies. There has been some confusion over time as to whether or not Benjamin Franklin was a Quaker but he was not. He was actually baptized and practiced as a Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
And so began Benjamin’s journey into the workforce. Albeit different from most people his age, at 12 years old, he was lucky that his love of reading would aid in assisting his brother. As an apprentice printer, Benjamin worked collaboratively with James, making pamphlets and then selling them on the streets of Boston. As a family business, the longevity proved to be one of the perks of working with a sibling, and by the time he was fifteen, he was able to move higher in the ranks. This was where his politicism merged with his love for print. Benjamin helped James start The New England Courant, a paper filled with opinion pieces, local news, schedules for transport, and advertisements. Other papers in the area only carried stories from abroad, so James’ paper was widely respected as the first true newspaper in Boston. Because of his age, Benjamin was not given a chance to write for the paper, or so everyone thought. Utilizing his creative prowess, he wrote letters in secret, sending them to his brother, James, under a pseudonym, “Silence Dogood,” an opinionated woman, of all things. He wrote from the perspective of a woman of the times who was extremely cynical and concerned with the treatment of other females. Silence became a voice for the people and chatter ensued. Everyone wondered who she really was. After over fifteen publications, Ben Franklin told the town that he was the one who was writing as Silence, to the dismay of his brother. James did not find this to be amusing, considering the attention it garnered. In fact, it got so much attention that readers increased and while Silence was an important contributor, James also brought forth many subjects that Puritan leaders opposed, one being vaccinations. James took it upon himself to poke fun at the Puritans rather than just argue his points. This angered the towns people and he was arrested and put in jail. While Ben ran the paper, James was infuriated that he would now be getting all the credit. He was so harsh on poor ben that he ran away in 1723. He later started purchased his own paper in 1729 called, The Pennsylvania Gazette, where he wrote and printed the paper. The paper became
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