Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17 1706 to the parents Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. Benjamin Franklin was the tenth son born to his father who was on his second wife, which in total his father had seventeen children. Benjamin Franklin father wanted him to become a clergy but can afford only to send him for one year in order to become a clergy you needed years of schooling. But that didn’t stop him from becoming an apprentice at his brother printer company. At only 12 years old Benjamin Franklin helped him compose pamphlets that he would sell on the streets. At 15 Benjamin Franklin brother started “The New England Courant” the first newspaper in Boston. Even though there were two paper in the city before his paper included articles, opinion pieces written by his friends, advertisement’s and news of ship schedules. Benjamin Franklin was not allowed to write in his brother paper due to the fact that he was lowly apprentice. Benjamin Franklin began writing letters at night and signing them with the name of a fictional widow, Silence Dogood. Dogood was filled with advice and very critical of the world around her, particularly concerning the issue of how women were treated. If Benjamin Franklin was caught by his brother he would be punish. The letter got a lot of attention and people wanted to know who this mystery person was. After sixteen letters had been posted Benjamin Franklin confesses to writing the letter, his brother was upset and jealous with all attention Benjamin Franklin was getting from his friends. Benjamin Franklin and his brother found themselves in debate with Boston's powerful Puritan preachers, the Mather’s. Because smallpox was a deadly disease back in them days, and the Mather’s supported inoculation and the Franklins' believed inoculation only made people sicker. Most Bostonians people agreed with the Franklins, James made fun of the clergy, during the debate. James was thrown in jail for his views, and Benjamin Franklins was left to run