We all have seen his face on the one hundred dollar bill. We have heard about the stories of Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in the middle of a thunderstorm. 200 years after his death, he is still an American symbol of human intellect, and ingenuity. The former ambassador to France is someone I look up to and draw inspiration from. This is the 1st of 4 blogs dedicated to the man and his achievements. Let us begin.......It all began on January 17, 1706 in an English colony called Boston, Massachusetts. His parents, Joesiah, and Abiah were of Puritan faith, which was the foundation of Benjamin's youth. His mother was from the Folger's Coffee estate, but that did not mean that they were well off. Josiah was a candle and soap maker and vendor, and apprenticed Benjamin at an early age.
Ben went to Latin school and eventually flunked. It appears as if Benjamin was not a serious student and was not open his parent's idea of going to the clergy and becoming a part of the church. Instead at 17 years of age, he ran off to Pennsylvania and start fresh in the city of Philadelphia. What did he do once he got there? Find out next week when part 2 of this trilogy plus one continues.
Picture Citation:
http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/images/photos/uploads/Ben-Franklin-2.jpg
Works Cited: Franklin, Benjamin, eds. The Way to Wealth, The Autobiography. New York, New York. W.W. Norton Anthology of American Literature. 2007.
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