The Life of
Benjamin Franklin
Early Life
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Born January 17, 1706 in Boston, MA
Had 9 brothers and seven sisters
Family trade of candle and soap making
Originally intended to become a minister
but took up printmaking at age 12
Only had two years of formal education
Who was Benjamin Franklin?
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Scientist
Inventor
Community Leader
Writer
Statesman/Politician
Franklin’s Accomplishments
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Scientist
 Proved lightening
as a source of
energy
 First to study
movement of the
Gulf Stream
Inventor of…
 the Franklin stove
Swim fin
Bifocals
The Glass Armonica
The Odometer
The Lightning Rod
Franklin’s Accomplishments
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Community leader- Organized
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The first volunteer fire departments
The first post office
The first public library
Writer
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Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733-1758)
Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751)
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791)
Franklin’s Accomplishments
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Statesman
 Served as diplomat to England and France
 Helped create Declaration and Constitution.
 ***Only American to sign all four of the documents
that created the republic
The Declaration of Independence
Treaty of alliance with France
Treaty of peace with England
The Constitution
Ben Franklin in Pop
Culture
“It’s all about the Benjamins!”
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
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Was unpublished during Franklin’s lifetime
Chronicles his life from 1771-1790
One of the most famous autobiographies
ever written
Divided into four parts
Part Two contains the section “Arriving at
Moral Perfection”
“Moral Perfection”
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Franklin’s attempt to rid himself of all
flaws
Ties into the Rationalist belief that man
could be made perfect
Includes a list of thirteen virtues Franklin
felt he needed to improve upon
Franklin’s progress charted in a booklet
Poor Richard’s Almanack
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Yearly almanac published from 1733-1758
Written by Franklin under the pseudonym
of “Poor Richard”
Sold 10,000 copies each year
Included calendar, weather forecasts,
poems, sayings, and astrological
information
Franklin’s biggest publishing success
The Sayings of Poor Richard
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“Love your neighbor; yet don’t pull down
your hedge.”
“Fish and visitors smell in three days.”
“Keep your eyes wide open before
marriage, half shut afterward.”
The Sayings of Poor Richard
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“Three may keep a secret if two of them
are dead.”
“Tart words make no friends; a spoonful
of honey will catch more flies than a
gallon of vinegar.”
“Glass, china, and reputation are all easily
cracked and never mended.”
The Sayings of Poor Richard
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“He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up
with fleas.”
“If a man could have half his wishes, he
would double his troubles.”
“'Tis hard for an
empty bag to stand upright.”