After a time, Franklin started a printing office of his own. He was very much in debt for his printing press and types. To pay for them he worked very hard. Men saw him at work when they got up in the morning, and when they went to bed at night the candle in his office was still shining. When he wanted paper, he would sometimes take the wheelbarrow himself and bring it from the store at which he bought it to his printing office.
People began to say: "What an honest, hard-working young man that Franklin is! He is sure to get on!" And then, to help him get on, they brought their work to his office.
He started a newspaper. Now his reading of good books and his practice in writing since he was a little boy helped him. He could write intelligently on almost any subject, and his paper was the best one printed in all America at that time.
Franklin married Miss Deborah Read, the same who had laughed when she saw him walking the street with a roll under each arm and his spare clothes in his pockets. His wife helped him to attend the shop, for he sold stationery in connection with his printing. They kept no servant, and Franklin ate his breakfast of plain bread and milk out of an earthen porringer with a pewter spoon. In time, he paid off all his debts and began to grow rich.
In those days books were scarce and people had but few of them. But everybody bought an almanac. Franklin published one of these useful little pamphlets every year. It was known as "Poor Richard's Almanac," because it pretended to be written by a poor man named Richard Saunders, though everybody knew that Richard was Franklin himself. This almanac was very popular on account of the wise and witty sayings of Poor Richard about saving time and money.
Franklin did not spend all his time making money. He studied hard as usual and succeeded in learning several languages without the help of a teacher. This knowledge was afterward of the greatest use to him.
Like other people in America at that time, he found it hard to get the books he wanted. To help himself and to do good to others, he started a public library in Philadelphia, which was the first ever started in America. Many like it were established in other towns, and the people in America soon had books within their reach. It was observed, after a while, that plain people in America knew more than people in the same circumstances in other countries.
Franklin did many other things for the public. Seeing how wasteful the old fireplaces were, since they burned a great deal of wood and made the rooms cold and full of draughts, and often filled the house with smoke, he invented a system of saving heat by means of a small iron fireplace or open stove. He founded a high school, which afterward became a great university. When the frontier people were slain by American Indians during the French War, he was the chief man in raising and arming troops for their relief.
These and other acts of the sort made Franklin well known in Pennsylvania. But he presently did one thing which made him famous all the world over. This one thing was accomplished in a very short time; but it came from the habits of study he formed when he was a little boy. He was always reading, to get more knowledge, and trying experiments, to find out things. People did not know a great deal about electricity at that time. In Europe many learned men were trying to find out what they could about various sorts of electricity, and lectures on the subject had been given in Philadelphia. Something made Franklin think that the electricity which was produced by a machine was of the same nature as the lightning in the sky. So he devised a plan to find out. He set a trap to catch the lightning. He made a kite by stretching a silk handkerchief on frame. Then he fastened a metal point to the kite and tied a hemp string to it to fly it with. He thought that if lightning were electricity, it would go from the metal part down the hemp string. At the lower end of the string he tied a key, and a silk string to catch hold of, so that he should not let the electricity escape through his hand.
Franklin knew that if a grown man were seen flying a kite he would soon be surrounded by a crowd. So one stormy night he went out and sent up his kite. He waited under a shed to see if the electricity would come. When he saw the little fibers of the hemp stand up charged with electricity, he held his hand near the key and felt a shock. Then he went home, the only man in the world that knew for certain that lightning was electricity. When he had found out this secret he invented the lightning-rod, which takes electricity from the air to the earth and keeps it from doing harm.
When the learned men of Europe heard that a man who had hardly ever been to school had made a great discovery, they were struck with wonder, and Franklin was soon considered one of the great men of the world and was called Dr. Franklin.
When the troubles between England and her colonies began, there was no one so suitable to make peace as the famous Dr. Franklin. Franklin went to England and tried hard to settle matters. But he would not consent to any plan by which Americans should give up their rights.
When the war broke out Dr. Franklin came home again. He was made a member of Congress, and he helped to make the Declaration of Independence. After the Americans had declared themselves independent they found it a hard task to fight against so powerful a country as England. They wanted to get some other country to help them. So Franklin, who was well known in Europe, and who had studied French when he was a poor printer, was sent to France.
When Franklin went to France he had to appear at the finest court in the world. But in the midst of all the display and luxury of the French court he wore plain clothes and did not pretend to be anything more than he was in Philadelphia. This pleased the French, who admired his independent spirit and called him "the philosopher." He persuaded the French Government to give money and arms to the Americans. He fitted out vessels to attack English ships, and during the whole War of the Revolution he did much for his country.
When the war was ended there came the hard task of making peace. In this Franklin took a leading part. When peace had been made, Dr. Franklin set out to leave Paris. As he was old and feeble, the queen's litter, which was carried by mules was furnished to him. On this litter he traveled till he reached the sea. After he got home he was the most honored man in America next to Washington. He became a member of the Convention of 1787, which formed the Constitution of the United States. He died in 1790, at the age of eighty-four.
When Franklin was a boy his father used to repeat to him Solomon's proverb, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings." This was always an encouragement to him, though he did not expect really to stand before kings. But he was presented to five different kings in his lifetime.
Benjamin Franklin eventually started his own printing office. He went deeply into debt to purchase the printing press and types. When people saw how hard he worked, they brought him more and more business. Franklin paid off his debts and became a wealthy man. Franklin started his own newspaper, married Miss Deborah Reed, and published "Poor Richard's Almanac," popular for its wise sayings about saving time and money. Franklin started the first public library in America where anyone could check out books. Franklin kept reading and studying and learned many foreign languages. Franklin invented the open stove, which heated houses better. He founded a high school which later became a university. He raised troops and money during the French War. He became well-known for conducting experiments with electricity and lightning and invented the lightning rod. He served as negotiator and peacemaker before and during the Revolutionary war. He became a member of Congress and helped write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. After a lifetime of accomplishments, he died in 1790, at the age of 84.
Vocabulary
Porringer: A bowl for porridge. Porridge: A breakfast dish made of grains or legumes, milk and/or water, heated and stirred until thick. Draughts (Drafts): A current of air, often coming into a house or a room. Fibers: Fine, thread-like bits that make up twine or string. Shock: The feeling of receiving electricity into a person from a charged body. Court: The palace of a king or queen, also the attendants and ministers advise the king or queen and help them govern. Luxury: Rich food, dress, or other pleasures. Philosopher: One who acts calmly and wisely, according to reason. Litter: A framework supporting a bed on which a person may be carried by other people or horses. Almanac: A book or table listing nautical, astrological, or other events for the year. Electricity: A phenomena caused by the distribution and movement of charged subatomic particles and their interaction with the electromagnetic field. Lightning Rod: A metallic conductor that is attached to the high point of a building and leads to the ground and protects the building from damage by lightning. Congress: A legislative body of a state. Declaration of Independence: A statement declaring the freedom of the original Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain. Constitution: A written plan of government which tells how and by whom laws shall be made and carried out, what kinds of laws can be made, and what laws cannot be made.
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Story
Narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 2: Study the Story Picture
Study the story picture, 'Portrait of Benjamin Franklin,' by David Martin and describe how it relates to the story.
Activity 3: Map the Story
Trace Franklin's travels between the United States and England (United Kingdom) and the United States and France.
Activity 4: Complete Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art
Click the crayon above. Complete pages 35-36 of 'American History Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art for Third Grade.'
Activity 5: Read the Declaration of Independence
Franklin was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, which announced America's independence from England. Read the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...
Review
Question 1
How did Benjamin Franklin become a wealthy man?
1 / 6
Answer 1
Benjamin Franklin bought his own printing press and worked very hard, attracting customers to his business. He also published a newspaper and 'Poor Richard's Almanac.'
1 / 6
Question 2
What contributions did Benjamin Franklin make to education?
2 / 6
Answer 2
Benjamin Franklin started the first public library in America so all could read books. He also started a high school, which became a university.
2 / 6
Question 3
What inventions did Benjamin Franklin create?
3 / 6
Answer 3
Benjamin Franklin invented the open stove for fireplaces and the lightning rod.
3 / 6
Question 4
How did Benjamin Franklin serve as a negotiator with the British and French?
4 / 6
Answer 4
Benjamin Franklin helped to broker peace with the British and procured French troops to fight the British.
4 / 6
Question 5
How did Benjamin Franklin help govern America?
5 / 6
Answer 5
Benjamin Franklin served as a member of Congress.
5 / 6
Question 6
Which important American documents did Franklin help write?
6 / 6
Answer 6
Benjamin Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States
How did Benjamin Franklin become a wealthy man?
Benjamin Franklin bought his own printing press and worked very hard, attracting customers to his business. He also published a newspaper and 'Poor Richard's Almanac.'
What contributions did Benjamin Franklin make to education?
Benjamin Franklin started the first public library in America so all could read books. He also started a high school, which became a university.
What inventions did Benjamin Franklin create?
Benjamin Franklin invented the open stove for fireplaces and the lightning rod.
How did Benjamin Franklin serve as a negotiator with the British and French?
Benjamin Franklin helped to broker peace with the British and procured French troops to fight the British.
How did Benjamin Franklin help govern America?
Benjamin Franklin served as a member of Congress.
Which important American documents did Franklin help write?
Benjamin Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States
References
'Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by David Martin. (1767, {PD-old-auto-1923})' Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Franklin_1767.jpg. n.p.
A First Book in American History
First Book in American History
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