Introduction
One of the most well-known presidents of the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin was also a brilliant inventor, philanthropist, scientist, and statesman. He was also a great businessman. He was very different from the person we know today growing up in a large household of seventeen children and being predicted by his father to become a future clergyman. (Masur 15). The young Benjamin, however, was as driven and full of energy as any other young, driven man, and he was endowed with many talents that would shape who he would be in the future. It is notable to express that among the founding fathers, a list that included Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson et al, he is the only one who signed four key documents that included granting US independence on 4th July 1776, the Treaty of France in 1778, the Treaty of Paris that was defining to obtaining peace with Great Britain signifying the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 and the US Constitution in 1787. In expounding further on Benjamin Franklin's extraordinary life, this paper will highlight his life achievements in sections categorized by disciplines and themes in which he made an impact. The thematic areas that will be highlighted in this paper include his family and childhood, successful printing business, some of the inventions that he created in conjunction with the experiments that he carried out, his philanthropic manner in combination with his public life.
Childhood
Boston remains the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin, the son of Josiah Franklin. He was born to a large family that included seventeen siblings with his biological mother bearing ten of the children. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest of the sons (Masur 21). His father had envisioned that he would be a clergyman due to his prowess in reading while his uncle Benjamin who was also a clergyman encouraged this by giving him notes on his sermon as a reference and practicing point in order to practice the "trade". However, due to lack of school fees and failing in arithmetic, Benjamin dropped out of school at ten years of age to provide assistance to his father in his soap business as a soap boiler. Life in Boston was not as promising as Benjamin would have wished for but instead became an apprentice after dropping out of school to his brother called James who was a printer by trade (Masur 25). James taught Benjamin the printing trade and when Benjamin attained the age of 15 years, his brother James founded the "New England Courant" that gained a massive reputation as the first ever newspaper to be regarded as independent.
Business
Printing
At the age of twelve, young Benjamin joined his half-brother James who had set up a printing business-New England Courant. His job description for the company was the delivery of the newspaper to the townspeople and a lowly apprentice. However, he had an urge of wanting to write for the paper, knowing all too well that his brother would not agree to it, Benjamin created a pseudo name-Silence Dogood-a fictional widow, who wrote about issues surrounding her and offered advice on critical topics (Masur 26). He contributed around fourteen essays, which can be regarded as his first published writings; these articles were an instant success, and people wanted to know the true identity of "Silence Dogood". At around 27 years of age, Benjamin Franklin published his first Almanac using the name Richard Saunders, before changing it to the famous Poor Richard's Almanac. This literary venture accorded him an immense popularity that seconded the Bible, it even spread further to Europe (Masur 28). He continued publishing it for over a span of 25 years, laboring to make it entertaining and purposeful- by offering brain teasers, practical tips- with each year that he continued publishing he continued to gain financial muscle(around ten thousand yearly), that he had to look for other outlets.
Public Service Life
Junto
At the age of 21, Benjamin created "Junto", a group that wanted to bring like-minded people together in order to change society and at the same time feel free to share their creativity. However, the establishment was meant to be secretive in order not to allow different people who did not support the cause of the group and was difficult to refuse admittance. However, they came with a proposal that allowed the members to create subordinate clubs with the aim of improving youth lives through the club and the increasing influence that the club had acquired which allowed them to influence public opinion (Masur 33). Similarly, Junto grew in prominence and stature to become a group synonymous with persuasions of current affairs and eventually led the emergence of several other organizations in Philadelphia. Ideally, the brainchild behind Junto emanated from the concept of English coffee houses that Franklin had grown to know well and which would eventually the source and epicenter for enlightening ideas in Britain. Other valued pastimes at the Junto included reading which kept the members captivated and enlightened on many ideologies. The concept of the Junto would give rise to the formation of libraries across the United States starting with the library of Philadelphia.
Post-Master General
Between the years of 1737 to 1753, Benjamin was appointed by the British Crown Post as the postmaster of Philadelphia. He carried out various effective measures in which they lead to the post office making profits, thus the formation of the United States Post Office through the unheralded and powerful influence of the Second Continental Congress did not bring much of a surprise when Franklin become elected to the loft position of a Post Master General due to his vast experience in the field. It is worth noting that, the postal system established since then continues to date (Masur 34).
Academia (Population Studies)
As noted from his earlier days, working for his brother's printing company, Benjamin continued writing, and notably in 1751, he wrote an essay that divulged on population growth trends and dependence on food and limits titled "Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind," a piece of literature that is considered as a leading masterpiece on population studies in the eighteenth century (Masur 37). It is also worth mentioning that the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which was completed after his death in 1790 and is characterized as revolutionary works in the genre. Benjamin Franklin had identified that there was a gap in Pennsylvania and went ahead and established an academy. He, however, did not admit the academy to being his idea; rather he gave the credit to public spirited men. A committee was established to form a proposal on the running of the school, space was acquired and the respective staff resources hired. The school was opened around 1740. Today, the school is known as the University of Pennsylvania, which is ranked as one of the top research schools in the world.
Diplomacy
A fine statesman, Benjamin was the Pennsylvania Assembly representative in England defending the assembly against the Penn family on who should represent the Colony (Masur 38). He, later on, became a representative of Massachusetts, Georgia, and New Jersey. In 1765, the Stamp Act was introduced, in which British Colonies were to pay direct taxes to the British government, a move that did not sit well with the Americans. Franklin was the lead representative of the Americans in vehemently opposing the Act which was repealed. Due to this accomplishment, Benjamin became the American spokesman in England.
Inventions
Electricity
Franklin had numerous inventions under his name and electricity remains one of his most recognizable inventions. It is documented that Franklin had started the exploration behind the phenomenon that was electricity and by the year 1746, his interest in static electricity had transitioned to another level. Using the illustrations of Archibald Spencer, Franklin developed the concept of vitreous and resinous electrify and suggested that they were the same though under different pressure (Masur 41). Franklin is therefore credited for labeling them as positive and negative respectively and is also recognized for his efforts to discover the principle behind the conservation of charge.
The Atlantic Ocean Currents
During Franklin's time as a postmaster, his interest in the North Atlantic Ocean became more pronounced especially with regards to the circulation patterns. While in England, Franklin encountered the complaint by the colonial board of customs about the reason why the British packet ships tasked with mail delivery took longer than expected to reach their destination in New York compared to an average merchant ship to reach Newport located in Rhode Island despite the fact the merchant ship encountering overwhelming hardships during the course of voyage yet the packets ships left from Falmouth along less treacherous routes in Cornwall. Franklin's inquisitive nature led to him learning that merchant ships routinely sailed to avoid strong eastbound oceanic currents while the packets sailed directly into them (Masur 55). Eventually, Franklin learned through the ship captains, planned and charted the type of current and named it the Gulf Stream.
Meteorology
The field of meteorology provided Franklin with an avenue to demystify the myth that was associated with the movement of storms. Coincidentally, the contributions of Franklin in the field of meteorology came after the storm moving towards the southwest side had denied ho, the opportunity to experience witnessing the lunar eclipse unfold. Subsequently, Franklin would discover that the prevailing winds that had prevented him from seeing the lunar eclipse had in fact traveled from the northeast contrary to his expectations (Masur 61). In collaboration with his brother, Franklin discovered that the same storm had not been experienced in Boston until after the eclipse despite the fact that Boston was located towards the northeast part of Philadelphia. Such a discovery made Franklin deduce that the storms did not often travel in the same direction as the prevailing winds. The concept continues to influence meteorology to this day.
Conclusion
Benjamin Franklin is best remembered for the many accolades he accomplished during his lifetime. As the first president of the US, Benjamin Franklin is eternalized by the emblazonment of his face is on the hundred dollar bill, and on stamps. Benjamin Franklin's life can be described as just as revolutionary. Benjamin Franklin's life contributed greatly of various fronts towards furthering the American dream of emancipation and advancement towards modernization especially through the numerous inventions he made during his lifetime. Benjamin Franklin is, therefore, the epitome of resilience, determination, and prosperity for the ordinary American citizen.
Work Cited
Masur, L. P. (2016). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: with Related Documents. Macmillan Higher Education.
