Benjamin Franklin was one of the greatest diplomats of all time. He signed all four documents that led up to the creation of the United States. Beyond his mastery of diplomacy, Ben Franklin was also a world famous scientist. He is best known for his kite experiment (Benjamin).
Ben Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He was the fifteenth child of seventeen to a candlemaker, Josiah Franklin. As a boy he attended school for only a mere two years, where he excelled in writing. He had no interest in taking up his fathers trade, candlemaking. Ben's real love, beyond books, was ships and the water. He was an excellent swimmer, partly due to swimming aids he had created for himself, which are considered the forerunners for today's swimming gear. Fearing that he might run away to the sea, Benjamin's father apprenticed Ben to his older brother, James, who was a printer (Donovan 12-17). .
Benjamin was eager to write for his brothers newspaper, but he knew that he, a young boy, had little or no chance of getting something published. He submitted an article to the paper under the pen name of Silence Dogood. The article was printed soon after. Benjamin thrived on the idea that people all over town were not only reading it but debating it. He went on to write thirteen more of the Silence Dogood letters which commented on the aspects of Boston culture. James was a hard worker, and Benjamin was a cocky young boy, partly due to the success of his letters. When he was seventeen years old he broke his apprenticeship agreement with his brother and ran away (Eberle 19-25). Ben took a ship to New Jersey, and from there he earned his way to Philadelphia by pulling an oar in a boat while going down the Delaware River (Donovan 22). .
When Ben landed he was tired, hungry, and had only a few pennies on him. He spent three of those pennies on some rolls of bread (Donovan 22-23). Benjamin quickly found a job working for a man named Keimer, who although was a printer, was not skilled at it.
