The Personality of Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was born on 17 January on Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts. He got his baptism at Old South Meeting. He was one of the ten sons of Josiah Franklin together with Abiah Folger. Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. Franklin is well known as a chief printer, author, politician, scientist, statesman and a diplomat (Isaacson, 2004). As a scientist, Franklin is a significant figure, in the American explanation, in the account of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity (Isaacson, 2004). Franklin as a discoverer, he is well known for discovering the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. Franklin also assisted in many civic associations such as the Philadelphia’s fire department and a university. Franklin faced many challenges that he managed to overcome to achieve his goals. For instance, one of the most complicated challenges he experienced was when he appeared before the House of Commons that took place on 13 February 1766 (Isaacson, 2004). The House asked him one hundred and seventy four questions regarding taxation without representation in a limit of only two hours. There were also more series of problems that he faced; his father took him out of school when he was still young so that he could do a job and earn some money, which he was never pleased with that decision because he really liked going to school (Clark, 2004). He also faced another irritating challenge when he was at the age of 17 years for being overweight. He was extremely well-built and skinny because he spent most of his time swimming and trying to be more sporty during the last days of his life, and trying to coach other people on the basics of swimming even when he was seventy years old. Franklin was also mocked, dishonored and was ousted from his position as the postmaster general, and was held responsible by the British government for the Boston Tea Party (Clark, 2004). He was also not so good in academic work and he did not do well in academics more so in mathematics that he was scoring very low grades. Benjamin Franklin helped in major contributions and accomplishments in the history of the Unite States. For example, he was one of the founding Fathers of the U.S., assisted in the drafting of both the declaration of independence and constitution of the U.S., which was the most significant achievement of his life (McCormick, 2008). He came from a poor background and through his efforts and hard works; he became one of the great figures in the American history, and resembling what we always imagine of as “the American spirit”. He was an inventor, a printer, a scientist, a musician, an economist, a philosopher, and most importantly, a statesman (McCormick, 2008). He published the “poor Richard’s Alamanac,” which is widely recognized with its witty phrases that are being used even in the current century. He also made the Bifocal glasses for his own personal use, but are still being used up to date by those who are suffering from sight related problems. He also conceptualized the concept of pay it forward during one of his theoretical musings on public modernization. He also discovered the idea of refrigeration when he noticed that he could keep on cooler on a wet shirt when it was hot (McCormick, 2008). Franklin became one of the victorious editors of newspaper and a printer in Philadelphia, which was one of the busiest cities in the colony, and managed to publish the Pennsylvania chronicle, which was a newspaper that was well known for its ground-breaking sentiments and criticism of the British policies (Isaacson, 2004). Franklin also became reach when he sold Pennsylvania gazette that he published. He also published the Moravian books in German language, which are still available as referencing materials at the Moravian Archives situated in Bethlehem, and he was also a regular visitor to Bethlehem and stayed at the Moravian Sun Inn (Isaacson, 2004). Franklin also helped in the establishment of Pennsylvania University, and was nominated to be the first President of the American Philosophical Society. He also became an American hero when he was at the forefront to make the upper house in London cancel the detested Stamp Act. There are a number of major problems that faced the United States. First, Slavery in Maryland, which lasted up to the year 1864 during the second to last year of the American Civil War. Slavery developed and spread to the neighboring Virginia State, and Maryland rapidly became the heart for the tobacco farming to be sold overseas in Europe. Most Americans were used as cheap labor or as slaves who worked in the tobacco farms, and the aggressive immigration and enslavement of Africans also supplied the needed labor force that was required in the tobacco farms (Clark, 2004). Battle of the Wilderness was also a serious problem that faced the American people, which was between the two groups of army, the first army being headed by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants of Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (Clark, 2004). Both armies suffered serious fatalities, an indication of a blood-spattered war of slow destruction by Grant against Lees army and, ultimately, the Confederate center, Richmond, Virginia. The combat was deliberately unconvincing, as Grant disconnected and continued his insults (McCormick, 2008). American-Indian wars were also major problem. For instance, on November 29, 1864, one of the most notorious events of the American-Indian wars occurred when some 650 willingly armed forces from Colorado attacked and ambushed a Cheyenne and Arapho encampment along sand Creek resulting to the death of not less than 160 inhabitant Americans with most of the causalities being women and children (McCormick, 2008). American Revolutionary War was also a major problem for the American people, and its main cause was Liberty, which was only on the behalf of white men and definitely not slaves. Because the British government was running short of work force, they required to recruit African American Soldiers to fight on representing the crown, and promising them for the exchange of Liberty in return. As a result of threatening catastrophe, the Royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issued a declaration that promised liberty to the slaves and servants who were willing to join his Loyalist Ethiopian Regiment. References Top of Form Clark, R. W. (2004). Benjamin Franklin: A biography. Edison, NJ: Castle Books.Bottom of Form Isaacson, Walter. (2004). Benjamin Frankline: An American Life. NY: Simon and Schuster. Top of Form McCormick, B. (2008). Ben Franklin: Americas original entrepreneur : Franklins autobiography for business today. Irvine, Calif.: Entrepreneur Press. Bottom of Form . Read More