Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
By
Jul 25, 2000
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|  n taking his own advice of, "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of." (Poor Richard's Almanack), Benjamin Franklin became Colonial America's best known writer, inventor, businessman, printer, abolitionist, philosopher, diplomat, patriot, humorist, scientist, postmaster, editor, philanthropist, and musician. Although a prodigious essayist, wit, and correspondent, Franklin's major literary works are his Poor Richard's Almanack and autobiography, The Private Life of the Late Benjamin Franklin, LLD. Franklin is often described as a genius and among his contributions to American life are the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, lightening rods, watertight bulkheads for ships, fire insurance, the odometer, and the long arm used to reach overhead objects.
Why Benjamin Franklin is important to the ideals of freedom: Benjamin Franklin, as one of America's Founding Fathers, a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence used his skillful diplomacy in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to hammer out the terms of state representation in the legislative branch of government. During the Revolutionary War Franklin secured America's recognition as a nation by the major European nation of France and convinced France to provide support and aid in the Revolutionary War against Great Britain. Franklin went on to secure the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin |
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