by Cree Maxie

Created on: March 07, 2009

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the United states of America. Through out his life he was also a leading printer, author, politician, political theorist, inventor, satirist, statesman, and diplomat. He has been noted for being a major figure in the enlightenment and the history of physics because of his theories regarding electricity. He invented things like the lightning rod, bifocals, the stove, a musical instrument, and a carriage odometer. He is responsible for creating the first fire department in Pennsylvania. He also formed the first lending library. As a diplomat he helped introduce the concept of colonial unity. As an activist and a political writer, he put into motion the idea of an American nation. During the American revolution, he secured the French alliance and made independence possible.

Benjamin Franklin's life started out in Boston. He had a big family, but they didn't have much money. His father, who had come from England in 1683, made soap and candles for a living. He was the youngest child of fifteen. Being younger helped him develop his wits, for he knew that force would not help him win fights against his siblings. The were not only larger than him, but the outnumbered him as well. Ben spent many of his younger years playing around the waterfront of Boston. He learned to swim and handle boats at a very young age. He was very innovative and invented a pair of wooden flippers and hand paddles to help him swim better. He used a kite to catch the wind and pull him across the water. Even when he was young, he was inventing things.

When he was ten, he quit school and became an apprentice at a candle making shop. He was to someday take over the family business. He would fill the candle molds, cut the wicks, and watch the shop for his father. However, Ben hated making candles. The job was uninteresting and boring to him. Ben expressed more interest in things like reading. When ever he was paid his small wage, he would go buy books and read late into the night.

Although Benjamin liked having money to spend, his father knew that he wasn't liking the candle business and was afraid that he might eventually run off to sea rather than continue working there. His father decided that he would send him to work for his older brother James, who owned his own successful printing business. When Ben was twelve, he became a printers apprentice. He signed a contract

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