Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706 in Boston. His father Josiah was a
soap maker. His mother was Akiah Folger, Josiah's second wife. They had 13 children.
Ben only had 2 years of formal education but he loved to read. At age 12, he went
to be an apprentice with his brother James at his print shop. When Ben was 15 his brother
started "The New England Courant", the first newspaper in Boston. Ben wanted to write
for the paper but his brother wouldn't let him. So Ben started writing letters and signing
them "Silence Dogwood". The letters were a hit and after 16 letters, Ben told everyone
that he was the write. His brother was furious.
At age 17 Ben ran away to Philadelphia. After 1 year, Ben went to England and
became a Master Printer. He returned to Philadelphia in 1726. In 1729 Ben bought a
newspaper "The Pennsylvania Gazette". He was also the postmaster of Philadelphia. Ben
organized a club of tradesmen called the Junto, they wanted to build their......
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Approximate Word Count: 408
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |