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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