Click
here to read about Benjamin Franklin and his discovery
of electricity
In
the meantime, Benjamin was also conducting science
experiments. He had already invented the Franklin
Stove, which was effective in keeping large houses
warm in the winter, as well as bifocal glasses.
He soon became interested in the concept of electricity.
In 1752, Franklin devised a simple experiment to
see if electricity could be harnessed from a storm
(Click here for more
on Franklin's electricity experiment). He succeeded
and gained international fame.
Soon
Benjamin turned to politics to satisfy his enormous
craving to learn. He soon became the colonial representative
for Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
Georgia and New
Jersey in England. He stayed in England for 18 years,
enjoying the life of a wealthy diplomat. Although
he begged his wife to join him in England, she refused
and eventually died while Benjamin was in England.
In
1765, England passed the Stamp
Act on the colonies, which forced Americans
to pay taxes on any sort of printed document. America
was outraged and word soon spread across England
about the rumblings in the colonies. Franklin helped
persuade Parliament to repeal the act, but grew
sick of the corruption he saw among political officials
in England. He began to formulate a plan for united
colonies. Franklin was soon embarrassed by members
of Parliament for exposing "The Hutchinson
Affair" to the colonies. Thomas Hutchinson,
the royal governor of Massachusetts,
was a British official sent to Massachusetts
to pretend to side with the colonists concerning
their complaints against England. In reality, he
was controlled by Parliament and had no intention
of helping the colonists.
Benjamin
Franklin then came home to join the cause for independence.
He was elected a member of the Continental
Congress and helped Thomas
Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence.
After he signed The Declaration of Independence,
Franklin set sail for France as America's ambassador.
Franklin's charm and persuasion were successful
in convincing the French to sign the 1778 Treaty
of Alliance, which asserted France's intention to
aid the colonies in their quest for independence,
and secure loans for military supplies. In 1783,
Franklin attended the signing of the Treaty of Paris,
which ended the Revolutionary War.
After
returning from France, Franklin became a member
of the Constitutional Convention and signed the
Constitution in 1787. He died three years later
on April 17, 1790. 20,000 people attended his funeral.
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