Benjamin Franklin

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“The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” –Benjamin Franklin. A man worthy of honorable mention, Benjamin Franklin was one of the smarter individuals who lived in the United States of America. From playing a role in drafting the Declaration of Independence to helping draft the United States Constitution, Ben has many accomplishments under his belt. Beings how smart he is, he has many achievements, including some facts that many people do not know about.
Born in Boston on January 17th, 1706, Ben had 16 siblings (10 which were full siblings). He attended Boston Latin School and had a very successful education there. Despite how well he was doing, Ben was removed to work with his father in making candles at 10 years old. When Ben turned 12 he was apprenticed to his brother, James, who owned a printing shop. Their father did this because he was afraid Ben would go out to sea like one of the other brothers. Ben saw this as a fitting opportunity and did well, despite his brother’s harsh treatment.
Although Ben was a very good writer, his brother never published any of his works. To work around this problem, Ben took on the character of “Mrs. Silence Dogood”. “Her” 14 letters, which were witty and imaginative, were published into Ben’s newspaper, The New England Courant. When James found out what his brother was doing, he became extremely angry at Ben. Following this issue, Ben promptly abandoned his apprenticeship and escaped to New York and eventually settled in Philadelphia, where he lived for the remainder of his life. To further his education in the printing trade, Ben lodged at the home of John Read in 1723. It is here he met and courted Read’s daughter D...

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... with England in 1783. Along with this were many other signed treaties and alliances.
After a decade in France, Ben returned to America in 1785. He was elected to represent Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention, which drafted and ratified the new United States Constitution. With this, he also elected George Washington as the country’s first president, who was inaugurated in April 1789.
Ben Franklin helped our country in many ways. From working on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to making little inventions, he always tried to find some way to help America. His patriotism and assistance helped America become what it is today. If it wasn’t for him being an amazing speaker, the Treaty of Paris may never have been signed which means we may never have become our own country. To this man, we owe thanks for part of the creation of our country.

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