Benjamin Franklin, the Father of Foreign Diplomacy

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Some people will argue that the true birth of United States of America started with George Washington leading the Continental Army against Great Britain's royal army in pursuit of freedom from foreign dictatorship; seizing the opportunity to create and control their own government in the manner in which they sought fit. One of the major forces in this battle for freedom was the diplomatic travels of Benjamin Franklin. His travels to England and France set the foundation for the dealings in foreign diplomacy that are still in effect today. Without Benjamin Franklin's wisdom, knowledge and courage to address Kings and Parliament on the behalf of the colonies, the American government, as we know it would not exist.

Benjamin was born January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts the 15th of 17 children. His father, Josiah Franklin was a soap and candle maker and his mother's name was Abiah. With only two years of a formal education he signed as an apprentice with a printing shop at the age of ten years old. At the age of 24 he owned his own printing shop and produced many of the writings that were printed in his paper. In 1730 he married Deborah Read and they had three children together. Due to his newspaper he quickly became very popular and was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly, where he helped organize the first public library in the colonies. Once a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, his charm and popularity thrust him into mainstream politics and began his career as a foreign diplomat.

In 1757 the Pennsylvania legislature launched a campaign against the failure of taxation of proprietors, and elected Benjamin Franklin to speak on the behalf of the colonies to Parliament in London, thus beginning his unofficia...

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...ston.edu http://www.hesston.edu/academic/faculty/nelsonk/PhysicsResearch/BenjaminFranklin/phyben.htm

PBS.com http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l2_citizen.html

Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History http://www.english.udel.edu/lemay/franklin/ J.A. Leo Lemay

Virtuology.com http://www.benjaminfranklin.org/

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/chapt1/

Other Sources:

Liberty! The American Revolution Volume 4: Oh Fatal Ambition! PBS Video Twin Cities Public Television: 1997

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