Benjamin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the eighth child in his family. He had about 12 siblings and he was his father’s 15th son and his mother’s 8th. Ben’s father, Josiah, was married twice. His first wife was Anne Child and his second one was Abiah Folger. Josiah was a candle and soap maker. Josiah wanted Ben to be a pastor, so he enrolled Ben into the Boston Latin School in 1714. When Ben showed no interest in being a pastor, Josiah apprenticed Ben to work in his shop when he was 10. Ben would cut wicks and fill molds for the candles and he would help customers. Two years later, Josiah realized that Ben wasn’t enjoying himself, so he apprenticed Ben to his …show more content…
In 1736, Benjamin was named clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly. In 1757, Ben was appointed the colony’s agent and was sent to England. When he came back to America, he was considered a devotee of the patriot cause. Franklin was appointed to serve as the colony’s agent in England and in 1762, he lost his seat. In 1766, he testified against the Stamp Act of 1765. During the Stamp Act, people would threaten to burn Franklin’s house because then, “the Penn family saw a way to get back at Ben. They started spreading the story that Ben had written the Stamp Act.” (Source 3). He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and he signed it. After signing the Declaration, he sailed to France as an ambassador to the Court of Louis XVI. Benjamin was appointed commissioner in Canada and France. Benjamin also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris. In 1787, Ben was chosen to represent Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention. During the