Tomas repka autobiography of benjamin

As a writer, he published a colonial newspaper and the well-known Poor Richard's Almanack, which contains his famous maxims. He is responsible for many inventions, including the Franklin stove and bifocal eyeglasses. He conducted scientific experiments, proving in one of his most famous ones that lightning and electricity were the same. As a politically active citizen, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence and lobbied for the adoption of the U.

He also served as ambassador to France. But when a fresh disagreement arose between the brothers, Franklin abandoned his brother, correctly judging that he will not produce the secret indenture papers. James Franklin, however, made it impossible for Franklin to get work anywhere else in Boston. Sneaking onto a ship without his father or brother's knowledge, Franklin headed for New York City , to work with printer William Bradford , but it turned out that Bradford was unable to employ him.

However, Franklin was instructed to find Bradford's son Andrew , a Philadelphia printer, who had recently lost an employee. Arriving in Philadelphia, Franklin finally found work under printer Samuel Keimer. The Governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith , took notice of Franklin and offered to set him up in business for himself.

On Keith's recommendation, Franklin traveled to London , but on arrival found that Keith had not written the promised letter of recommendation for him, and that "no one who knew him had the smallest Dependence on him". Franklin found work there until to Philadelphia as an assistant to Thomas Denham , a Quaker merchant, only to return to Keimer's shop after Denham's unexpected death.

After quitting over his wages, Franklin left Keimer to begin a printing partnership with Hugh Meredith, a former co-worker. The shop is subsidized by Meredith's father, though most of the work is done by Franklin as Meredith is not much of worker and is given to drinking. Their first project was to launch a newspaper, but when Keimer hears of this, he rushes out a paper of his own, the Pennsylvania Gazette, a failure, which Franklin buys from Keimer and makes "extremely profitable".

The partners also received an appointment as printers for the Pennsylvania assembly. When financial setbacks led to Meredith's father withdrawing his financial support of the paper, friends loan Franklin the money he needs to keep it in operation. The partnership amicably dissolved when Meredith relocated to North Carolina , and Franklin continued the business in his own name.

In , Franklin married Deborah Read, and after which, with the help of the Junto , he drafted proposals for Library Company of Philadelphia. The second part begins with two letters Franklin received in the early s while in Paris , encouraging him to continue the Autobiography, of which both correspondents have read Part One. Although Franklin does not say so, there had been a breach with his son William after the writing of Part One, since the father had sided with the Revolutionaries and the son had remained loyal to the British Crown.

At Passy, a suburb of Paris, Franklin begins Part Two in , giving a more detailed account of his public library plan. He then discusses his "bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection", listing thirteen virtues he wishes to perfect in himself. He creates a book with columns for each day of the week, marking his offenses against each virtue with black spots.

He eventually realizes that perfection is not to be attained, but his attempt makes him feel better and happier. Beginning in August , when Franklin had returned to Philadelphia, the author says he will not be able to utilize his papers as much as he had expected since many were lost in the recent Revolutionary War. He does, however, quote a couple of his writings from the s that survived.

One is the "Substance of an intended Creed" consisting of what he then considered to be the "Essentials" of all religions. He had intended this as a basis for a projected sect but, Franklin says, did not pursue the project.

Tomas repka autobiography of benjamin

In , Franklin first publishes his Poor Richard's Almanack , which becomes very successful. He also continues his profitable newspaper. In , a preacher named Rev. Samuel Hemphill arrives from County Tyrone Ireland; Franklin supports him and writes pamphlets on his behalf. However, someone finds out that Hemphill has been plagiarizing portions of his sermons from others.

However, Franklin rationalizes this by saying he would rather hear good sermons taken from others than poor sermons of the man's composition. Franklin studies languages, reconciles with his brother James, and loses a four-year-old son to smallpox. Franklin's club, the Junto , grows and breaks up into subordinate clubs. Franklin becomes Clerk of the General Assembly in thus entering politics for the first time, and the following year becomes Comptroller to the Postmaster General , which makes it easier to get reports and fulfill subscriptions for his newspaper.

He proposes improvements to the city's watch and fire prevention regulations. The famed preacher George Whitefield arrives in , and despite significant differences in their religious beliefs, Franklin assists Whitefield by printing his sermons and journals and lodging him in his house. As Franklin continues to succeed, he provides the capital for several of his workers to start printing houses of their own in other colonies.

He makes further proposals for the public good, including some for the defense of Pennsylvania, which cause him to contend with the pacifist position of the Quakers. In he invents the Franklin stove , refusing a patent on the device because it was for "the good of the people". He proposes an academy, which opens after money is raised by subscription for it and it expands so much that a new building has to be constructed for it.

Franklin obtains other governmental positions city councilman , alderman , burgess, justice of the peace and helps negotiate a treaty with the Indians. After helping Thomas Bond establish a hospital , he helps pave the streets of Philadelphia and draws up a proposal for John Fothergill about doing the same in London. In Franklin becomes Deputy Postmaster General.

The next year, as war with the French is expected, representatives of the several colonies, including Franklin, meet with the Indians to discuss defense; Franklin at this time draws up a proposal for the union of the colonies, but it is not adopted. General Braddock arrives with two regiments , and Franklin helps him secure wagons and horses, but the general refuses to take Ben's warning about danger from hostile Indians during Braddock's planned march to Frontenac now Kingston, Ontario.

When Braddock's troops are subsequently attacked, the general is mortally wounded and his forces abandon their supplies and flee. A military is formed on the basis of a proposal by Benjamin Franklin, and the governor asks him to take command of the northwestern Frontier. With his son as aide de camp , Franklin heads for Gnadenhut, raising men for the military and building forts.

Returning to Philadelphia, he is chosen colonel of the regiment ; his officers honor him by personally escorting him out of town. This attention offends the proprietor of the colony Thomas Penn , son of William Penn when someone writes an account of it in a letter to him, whereupon the proprietor complains to the government in England about Franklin.

Declining to respond on the grounds that anyone could duplicate and thus verify his experiments, Franklin sees another French author refute Nollet, and as Franklin's book is translated into other languages, its views are gradually accepted and Nollet's are discarded. Search the Wayback Machine Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass.

Sign up for free Log in. It appears your browser does not have it turned on. Please see your browser settings for this feature. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Usage CC0 1. Benjamin Franklin is a man who needs little introduction. He wore many hats over the course of his fascinating life, from that of a printer, to an inventor, to a scientist, to a politician, a founding father and statesman, and even a postmaster-general.

He was famous for all of these things in his day, but he was also famed for his keen insight into people and human nature, and his sparkling talent as a conversationalist.