BIOGRAPHIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ADAMS John Paul Jones Barrington Darragh and Sybil Ludington for example were each able to warn colo nial forces of impending British attacks thus averting possible disaster The struggle for independence was fought on many fronts some agitators took up their pens others took up arms and still oth ers simply did whatever was necessary to aid the cause No matter how they chose to show their support however the individuals you will encounter in this volume and the many other heroes who devoted themselves to the Revolutionſ shared a commitment to their land and represent some of the country's most impassioned patriots for whom sacri fice came second only to justice and freedom 12
CHAPTER 1 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN enjamin Franklin was a printer by trade but he had many other talents as well He was a diplomat a scientist an inventor a phi losopher an educator and a public servant In Europe Franklin was the most famous American of the Revolutionary era It was he who persuaded the English to repeal the hated Stamp Act It was also he who con vinced the French to aid in the American Revolution Franklin helped draft both the Declaration of Independence and the U S Constitution EARLY LIFE Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on Jan 17 1706 His father Josiah was a poor soap and candlemaker His mother Abiah was Josiah's second wife Benjamin was the young est son and the 15th of 17 children When he was 12 he went to work as an apprentice in the print shop of his half brother James He soon became an expert printer but he was not happy in his brother s shop and wanted to be on his own 14
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN After a short stay in New York City Franklin went to Philadelphia In 1728 he started his own print shop with a partner and the two published a weekly newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette Franklin became sole owner of the business in 1730 and went on to become very suc cessful He was made official printer for Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware and Maryland Franklin s most popular publica tion was Poor Richard's Almanack which first appeared in 1732 The Almanack was a calen dar and weather forecast for the year and it contained amusing stories and proverbs At Franklin's insistence Philadelphia's streets were paved and kept clean and bet ter lighted He formed Philadelphia's first volunteer fire company He used the edito rial columns of the Gazette to raise money for organizing the first hospital in America He started the first circulating library in America He also helped establish an academy that later became the University of Pennsylvania By 1748 Franklin had earned enough money to leave his printing business He bought a 300 acre 120 hectare farm near Burlington N J and retired to give his time to science and public service 15
