Ben Franklin A Touch Of Genius

Benjamin and his brother James composed pamphlets and set type and Benjamin would sell their stuff in the streets. At the age of 15 Benjamin’s brother James started his own newspaper “Courant”, it included reprinted articles from Europe, advertisements and ship scheduals . He wanted very much to write himself but his brother James would not let him, he was his apprentice. So Benjamin started secretly writing letters at night and signing them “Silent Dogwood”. People thought Dogwood was a middle-aged widow who was funny and had intelligent things to say.

Benjamin finally confessed to his brother after 16 letters, but his brother was very jealous of the attention he was getting now. After an issue with perspectives and different views of another issue, James was thrown in jail and Ben was left to run the paper. When his brother got out of jail he was not at all grateful to Benjamin for keeping the paper going. He kept harass...

Silence Dogood, these letter were published and became a subject of conversation around town. When his older brother, James, discovered that these letter belonged to Benjamin he has not happy. Benjamin Franklin left his apprenticeship without permission and became a fugitive. At 17 Franklin ran away to Philadelphia seeking a new start, at his arrival he worked in a few print shops in town. He was the convinced to go to London by Sir William Keith who supposedly wanted to start a new newspaper, however this was untrue.

Although the two eventually parted ways they remained friends, and their friendly arguing in conjunction with his love of literature helped Franklin to substantially improve his writing skills. Eager to have some of his writing published in his brother's newspaper, and knowing that his brother would not publish anything of his, Franklin wrote anonymous letters and delivered them to the printing house at night. Many of his letters were printed before he finally revealed that he had been submitting the anonymous letters. Later on, differences arose between Benjamin and James that caused Ben to run away to New York and then Philadelphia in search of a printing job. After a little searching, and a little help from another printer's father, Franklin found work at Keimer's printing house.

Once in Philadelphia he kept working at his trade and made many friends, among whom was Sir William Keith, the provincial governor of Pennsylvania. He talked Franklin into going to London to complete his training as printer and to buy the equipment that he needed to start his own printing business in Philadelphia. Franklin took his advice, and arrived in London on December 1724. Unfortunately he didn’t get certain promised letters of introduction and credit from Keith, and so he found himself without work or money in a strange city. He managed, however, to get work at two of the best printing houses in London, Palmer’s and Watt’s.

He was the tenth son born to a soap maker. He was very successful at the Boston Latin School. Despite his success, Franklin was needed to work in his father’s shop, so Franklin dropped out of school to help his father. Franklin’s father later had him working in the print shop alongside his brother James. His brother would beat and mistreat him often.

At one point James Franklin was imprisoned for his liberal statements, and Benjamin carried on the paper himself. Having thus learned to resist oppression, Benjamin refused to suffer his brother's own domineering qualities and in 1723 ran away to Philadelphia (#1). Soon Franklin found a job as a printer. After a year he went to England, where he became a master printer, sowed some wild oats, amazed the locals with his swimming feats, and lived among inspiring writers of London. By 1726 Franklin was tiring of London (#1).

“But since cutting wicks and smelling tallow made Franklin very unhappy, his father finally agreed that the printing trade might better suit the boy…” (Wood). At the age of twelve, Franklin began printing with his brother, James, in a nine year apprenticeship in order to keep him away from sea (Franklin 12). Franklin suited the difficult practice of printing due in part to his love a reading and sturdy stature (Wood). During his work as a printer, Franklin would often borrow books an... ... middle of paper ... ... mission in England, Franklin returned to the colonies during the American Revolution in 1775. Pennsylvania selected Franklin as their delegate to the Second Continental Congress, which began meeting in Philadelphia that summer.

Franklin endured a grueling experience of composing pamphlets with his brother and selling their work on the streets. At the age of 15, Franklin along with his older brother James were the founders of the first truly independent newspaper in the colonies: The New-England Courant. Years as a Neophyte The New-Engl... ... middle of paper ... ...lin hoped that they wouldn’t be mad about his letters and he kept some of his letter that were later on stolen and was published by the public and he took full responsibility for them after that in London he was named a traitor and a thief by that he failed to solve the difference between that British and the Americans. Soon after that his reputation in England worsen which was the worse period in his career, A British solicitor names Alexander Wedderburn spent hours calling Franklin a criminal and a traitor as his friend in the council stood and critics accusing him, Franklin didn’t display any emotions but he was angry and kept his head high. As the people of the Americas wanting independence from the Great Britain, Benjamin was encouraging and giving aid to people on order to achieve independence by doing so he returned back to America seeking out independence.

However, they did not believe that James’s mockery of the clergy was just. He was thrown in prison for his prints and the company was left to Benjamin. However, upon his release, he was not grateful to his brother and took over. Young Franklin knew that this was not the lifestyle he wanted and reacted to this by running away. He arrived in Philadelphia and used the last of his money to buy some rolls.