Words of Wisdom from SharLeigh
OUR MOST INFLUENTIAL FOUNDING FATHER
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706. After being a printer’s apprentice, he opened his own printing shop in Philadelphia and became very wealthy, writing and publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac and the Pennsylvania Gazette. During his lifetime, Franklin introduced cartoons in the Gazette for people who could not read; he proposed the idea for the University of Pennsylvania; he conducted electrical experiments; he established the first fire department; he founded the first lending library; and he printed paper money to help establish currency in the United States. He also invented, among other things, the lightening rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove and the odometer. As a patriot, Franklin was elected to the Continental Congress and, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was quoted as saying, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” During the War of Independence, Franklin was the American Minister to Paris. Franklin secured the French alliance that helped to make independence possible by negotiating the Treaty of Alliance with France. With John Adams and John Jay, Franklin negotiated the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain and served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Toward the end of his life, Franklin became one of the most prominent abolitionists. Franklin died in 1790 and was put to rest at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Today, he is remembered by his many accomplishments, his help in forging the United States and its ideals, and his many famous quotes – his face is also on our hundred dollar bill. True to his writing, this quote sums up why we have never forgotten Benjamin Franklin: “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worthy reading, or do things worth the writing.” Apparently he was right!