Ben Franklin Escapes Poverty
From 3 pennies to 10.3 billion dollars!
Benjamin's Background
When Ben ran away to Philadelphia he only had three pennies and the talents from his printing career. He used all of his money to buy three loafs of bread. Ben had no money, family, or friends in Philadelphia and had to figure out how to use his talents to make his way in the world. He took loans from the few generous people that walked by, and with those loans he bought supplies and started up his very own printing business. Before long he was well known for being an honest and hardworking business man that would pay your loans back. On September first, 1730 Ben got married to Deborah Read whom he had met soon after arriving at Philadelphia. After their marriage Ben bought a bookstore to run and a small newspaper called "The Pennsylvania Gazette". By the time he was 42 Ben had enough money to retire and focus more on handling the politics of the American Revolution.
This was one of the first political cartoons ever made. It was made by none other than Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin's Feats
- Figured out that lightning is a form of electricity.
- Played 3 instruments and composed music.
- Invented the lightning rod.
- Started one of the first fire-fighting businesses.
- Is a Founding Father of this country.
- Invented bifocals.
- Made the U.S.'s first free library.
- Invented the fuel and heat efficient Franklin Stove.
- Made the "13 Virtues" list (shown below).
- Followed his "13 Virtues" list for until he died (64 years).
Life Lessons With Ben
Citations
Balcarcel, Rebecca. “How to Cite YouTube Videos.” Online video clip. Sixminutescholar.Youtube, 22 Apr. 2006. Web. 15 Mar. 2016
"Benjamin Franklin > Quotes." Goodreads. Goodreads, 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/289513.Benjamin_Franklin>.
Biography.com Editors. "Benjamin Franklin Biography." The Biography.com website.
A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234>.
Franklin, Ben. Join or Die. Cartoon. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. 9 May 1754. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"Overcoming Obstacles: Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues Worth Learning." Learning
Liftoff. K12, 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.learningliftoff.com/overcoming-obstacles-ben-franklin/
#.Vua6j1srLnB>.
The New England Courant. Photograph. Massachusetts Historical Society. 17 Sept. 1722. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"The Quick 10: The 10 Richest People Ever." mental_floss. N.p., 2016. Web. 15
Mar. 2016. <http://mentalfloss.com/article/19726/
quick-10-10-richest-people-ever>.
"Wisdom of Ages: Benjamin Franklin Quotes." Online video clip. ImagineCreations. YouTube, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
100 Dollar Bill. Photograph. YouTube. 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016