A ubiquitous figure in our American culture, distinguished renaissance man and founding father Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 to Josiah and Abiah Franklin in Boston, Massachusetts. After attending a few years of schooling in his childhood, Franklin became a printing apprentice at the age of twelve under his brother James and participated in a new publication called The New-England Courant, the first fully independent newspaper in the American colonies. This was only the beginning of a long literary career for Franklin, as he later published such works as The Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanac and contended for public libraries in hopes that national literacy would increase.
In addition to his literary works, Benjamin Franklin made significant progress in the realm of science. A primary example of his scientific work would be the famous kite experiment, but Franklin also invented such devices as bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, and the Franklin stove, a precursor to our modern fireplace. Furthermore, Franklin hypothesized on such topics as electricity, the wave theory of light, and meteorology. Most …show more content…
Though his words were few, it was Benjamin Franklin who, after much debate at the Constitutional Convention with little advancement, advised the President of the Continental Congress, George Washington, to pray to the God of Heaven for guidance. Franklin states in his appeal: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid…I, therefore, beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning we proceed to
In addition to his literary works, Benjamin Franklin made significant progress in the realm of science. A primary example of his scientific work would be the famous kite experiment, but Franklin also invented such devices as bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, and the Franklin stove, a precursor to our modern fireplace. Furthermore, Franklin hypothesized on such topics as electricity, the wave theory of light, and meteorology. Most …show more content…
Though his words were few, it was Benjamin Franklin who, after much debate at the Constitutional Convention with little advancement, advised the President of the Continental Congress, George Washington, to pray to the God of Heaven for guidance. Franklin states in his appeal: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid…I, therefore, beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning we proceed to