history assignment
Meral2013
ExamplePaper.docxHis love of books landed him an apprenticeship with his brother, James, who was a printer. Twelve year old Benjamin helped write articles, set type, and sold their newspapers and pamphlets in the streets. James was not very kind to his sibling, and so Benjamin decided to run away in 1723.2 He settled down in Philadelphia where he eventually opened his own print shop, mercantile store, and book store.
In 1729, Benjamin bought the Pennsylvania Gazette, which became the most successful newspaper in the colonies.3 In 1733, he began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack under the pen name Richard Saunders.4 Almanacs were printed once a year and included weather reports, predictions, recipes and homilies. Poor Richard’s Almanack was known for its clever and humorous author who became famous for phrases such as, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”5
Franklin realized that people could not afford books and developed the first subscription library, the Library Company, in 1731.6 Members combined their money so
that books could be purchased from England and shared amongst the group. He also
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1 Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
founded Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company in 1736, the American Philosophical Society in 1743, and the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751.7 In 1752, in order to prevent devastating financial losses due to fire, Benjamin helped start the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire, which is still in business centuries later.8
The Pennsylvania Hospital was not the only contribution Franklin made to the medical field. He took a great interest in health related issues and applied reasoning instead of superstition to develop surprisingly accurate hypotheses. For example, many believed that the common cold was caused by wet clothes or damp air. Franklin observed that sailors, who often wore damp clothes, stayed healthy, and people in close proximity often became ill. Before any knowledge of microorganisms, he concluded that the common cold was transmitted by people through the air. He also experimented with electricity and paralysis similar to the way modern doctors stimulate immobile muscles to prevent atrophy. Franklin's observations of exposure to warm lead helped link health problems with lead poisoning. He invented a flexible catheter to replace the hard tubes that caused pain as they were inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine from the body.9
Many of Franklin’s other inventions continue to be used today like swim fins and bifocals. Bifocals were particularly useful when he started getting older and had difficulty seeing up-close and far away. He did not like constantly switching between two types of glasses. In 1784, he figured out a way to fit both types of lenses in one frame so that the
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7 Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
8 Ibid.
9 Twin Cities Public Television. “Benjamin Franklin”; available from http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_inquiring_medical.html; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
distance lens was above the up-close lens—hence, bifocal glasses.10
Another contribution that consumers used for 200 years was the Franklin Stove, or as he called it, the Pennsylvania fireplace.11 In 1742, he invented a freestanding, cast-iron, wood-burning stove that heated houses more efficiently and safely than traditional fireplaces.2 It opened at the front and contained baffles in the back to improve airflow.12 Benjamin also improved the metal so that it would not crack.
By 1749, he retired from his numerous businesses and focused on inventions and science experiments, like his internationally renowned study of electricity.13 His interest in electricity began when a friend, Peter Collinson, gave him an electricity tube. Franklin wanted to test his hypothesis that lightning was a natural electric current. In June of 1752, he tied a metal key to a kite and flew it during a storm.14 Lightning passed through the metal proving that it was a “stream of electrified air, known today as plasma.”15
Benjamin realized the dangerous potential of lightning and invented the lightning rod in 1752 to protect buildings, people, and ships from its adverse effects.16 During the 1700’s, lightning was a common cause of fire since buildings and ships were made of wood. The lightning rod was a tall rod connected to the outside wall of the house with one end pointing toward the sky. The other end was attached to a cable, which ran down to the
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10 Bellis, Mary. “The Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin”; available from http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/ss/Franklin_invent; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
11 The Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living. “Franklin Stove”; available from http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/F/AE_Franklin_stove.html; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
12 Ibid.
13 Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
14 The Franklin Institute. “Electrified Ben”; available from http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/scientst/electric.html; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
15 Ibid.
16 Bellis, Mary. “The Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin”; available from http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/ss/Franklin_invent; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
ground and buried ten feet under. The rod attracted lightning and transmitted the charge into the ground in order to prevent fire.17
Franklin was also dedicated to avoiding political fires and became influential in shaping the colonies into a new nation. He stressed the importance of unity and democracy and stated in the Continental Congress just before signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."18 In London, he served as a colonial agent for Pennsylvania for many years and stressed to the British government that America firmly believed in the principle of taxation without representation. During the Revolution, Franklin went to France to serve as the official diplomat and ambassador of the thirteen colonies. His work during this time was the reason the world of nations recognized and accepted the thirteen states as a new nation.19 He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the resulting document. "Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes," Franklin said in a letter to M. Leroy, 1789.20
On April 17, 1790, Benjamin died at the age of 84 with 20,000 people in attendance at his funeral.21 His inventive nature in literature, medicine, science, and politics has had a
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17 Bellis, Mary. “The Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin”; available from http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/ss/Franklin_invent; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
18 Independence Hall Association. “Franklin’s Contributions to the American Revolution as a Diplomat in France”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/history/franklin.html; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin”; available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
major impact on American society and his contributions continue to benefit people centuries later. He once said that, “Applause waits on success.”22 Benjamin Franklin earned a standing ovation.
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22 BookRags Media Network. “Benjamin Franklin Quotes”; available from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin.html; Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
Bibliography
Independence Hall Association. “The Electric Ben Franklin.” Available from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
The Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living. “Franklin Stove.” Available from http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/F/AE_Franklin_stove.html. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
The Franklin Institute. “Electrified Ben.” Available from http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/scientst/electric.html. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
Bellis, Mary. “The Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin.” Available from http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/ss/Franklin_invent. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
Twin Cities Public Television. “Benjamin Franklin.” Available from http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_inquiring_medical.html. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
Independence Hall Association. “Franklin’s Contributions to the American Revolution as a Diplomat in France.” Available from http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/history/franklin.html. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
BookRags Media Network. “Benjamin Franklin Quotes.” Available from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin.html. Internet; accessed 18 March 2012.
