Benjamin+Franklin

=Benjamin Franklin As A Man= Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. Franklin was the tenth son of a soap and candlemaker. Franklin married Deborah Read in 1730. They had four children, two boys and two girls. In 1733, Franklin wrote the Poor Richard's Almanac which became very popular and was 2nd behind the Bible in popularity in the Colonies. Between 1776 and 1779, Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay negotiated the Treaty of Paris. Franklin was the only man who signed the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Alliance with France, Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the Constitution. At the end of his life, Franklin wrote his auto-biography and became involved in the anti-slavery movement. Franklin died in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790 at the age of eighty-four. About 20,000 people attended his funeral. Benjamin Franklin has appeared on the postage stamp and on the silver and paper money of the United States. Many landmarks in Philadelphia are named after him. == =**His Contributions**= Benjamin Franklin was an American writer, printer, and inventor. He invented bifocal glasses (for distance and reading use), a heating stove that gave more heat with using less fuel, and also discovered that lightning was electricity. His lightening rod saved many buildings from fire. Even though he was self-taught and had only one year of public education, he was able to teach himself many languages and how to play many musical instruments. Franklin was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Franklin was 1 of 5 people who helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence on June 11, 1776 at 12:37pm. In 1788, he was elected President of the Antislavery Society in the United States. Franklin's last public act was to sign an appeal to Congress for the abolition of slavery in 1789. = = == = = =Role in the Constitutional Convention= Ben Franklin was known as the peacemaker of the Constitutional Convention. He arrived at the Convention on May 28, 1787. He was eighty-one years old at the time. He was the oldest delegate present. He was one of the authors of the Great Compromise, which helped settle arguments between the large and small states. On June 28, the convention was a mess and he said "hence forth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business". Franklin is also remembered for the Rising Sun speech he delivered on September 17, 1787.

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