Benjamin Franklin

Mohammad Arsal Farooqi
Hist-1301
1-NOV-2018
                                                          Benjamin Franklin
         Benjamin Franklin was one of America’s most famous writers, statesmen, politicians, impressionists, and discoverers. Amusing, trenchant, brilliant, and practical. Much of his life is known from the auto-biograph. Franklin was born in Boston on 17th of January 1706. Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. He was the tenth and youngest son of Josiah Franklin. In his early age his father premeditated him for the church, Benjamin went to Boston Grammar School at the age of eight, but this was too expensive for them. Thus, he was sent to George Brownell’s School, where he studied writing and arithmetic. After he finished his formal studies he was put to make candles, he worked with his brother James at a printing shop. He never liked his brother’s treatment and ran away to Philadelphia. He went to London and came back to Philadelphia and stablished his own print shop. He started printing his own newspapers which earned him a lot of money which he invested in other printing business.  But his life surely meant for doing something much more. Ben Franklin is well known for the things he has done in his life which influence the current era.
         Benjamin was America’s best scientist inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist and also a political thinker. Ben franklin was never passionate about the money or a wealthy life. He always tried to remind his son that he came from a hard-working family. People think that he wrote his autobiography for his son, although it wasn’t just for his son it was for the public and for the history. Benjamin franklin said on the first day of his writing. “But one does not dress for private company as for a public ball” (Franklin pg.8). Meaning that one can write for his family more casually than for the public. This gives us an idea that this book meant to be read by the public and get swayed with his writing.  

     Benjamin Franklin is well known for his political mind, but he was also a great scientist. “We remember Franklin the scientist primarily for his inventions: the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove.” (Franklin the Scientist pg.204). Bifocals are one the greatest inventions of all time. Bifocals are commonly prescribed for the people with presbyopia, Benjamin franklin suffered this problem. in 1785 Benjamin wrote a letter to George Whatley who was a London economist. In this latter, he described the use of the bifocals. Franklin also discovered many things about electricity. Franklin showed that electricity consisted of an element, he named this element electric fire. He wrote a letter to Peter Collinson in which he described that electricity is a liquid which passes from one body to another. This theory is now known as the “single fluid theory”. All the chargers and batteries works on this theory.

        Benjamin Franklin has played a big role for the revolution of America. “In 1766, he first called upon his abilities as publicist in the battle against English taxation” (Franklin and revolution pg.231). In presented a list of brilliant questions and answer which revoked the stamp act. He said that the colonies are already paying heavy taxes and they don’t have enough money to pay the new stamp taxes, it is totally biased since America was not signified in the Parliament. Americans never respected the English, and started boycott of English goods. Although the stamp act was repealed. Benjamin wrote another letter to London newspaper, but the English politicians searched for ways to make Americans pay the taxes. Benjamin got tired of this and wrote two harsh satires. Franklin was called a thief and was dismissed from his office. Stamp act was the major cause of the revolution. The colonies started protesting against the taxes. Parliament stood firm and ignored American grievances. Later in 1775, Benjamin was elected as a delegate to the second continental congress along with Washington, Adams and Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson played a key part in the revolution of America. Jefferson was an American founding father. During the American revolution war Thomas Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature and he was the governor of Virginia. George Washington was the commander of continental army during the revolutionary war and was elected as the first president of America in 1789 and served till 1797.
        Slaves also played an important role in the revolution. Colonies and the British thought that slaves can be vital in the revolution. Slaves fought for the Continentals and the British, around 5000 free slaves served for the continental army whose commander in chief was George Washington. Both the British and the Colonies wanted the slaves to serve on their side. They both proposed great deals to the slaves. The war didn’t matter to the black slaves, the only thing mattered was their freedom. They faced each other at the battle for their own freedom. Surprising number of slaves won their freedom by fighting in the war of independence. Most of them were manumitted, and the other ran away from the battle. Slave-owners were afraid to give the slaves any kind of weapons, they thought the slaves might kill their families in their absence, they were afraid to leave for the war for the same reason.  In 1778, Virginia and many other states granted freedom to the slaves who served in the war, but most of the slaves who fought for the rebels were still the property of their masters.