Ben Franklin. Brief biography of a politician

It is widely known that in the United States of America the most popular are banknotes with a face value of $ 1 and $ 20. But other countries prefer banknotes of a larger denomination. On one of them there is a portrait of a scientist, philosopher, a politician named Ben Franklin. On which banknote the depiction of this person is depicted and what his services consisted in - we find out below.

Biography

Benjamin (Ben) Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He was the son of a poor soap-maker and, like many of his peers, early began to help his father in his work. Soap life seemed to Franklin unattractive, so he went to work for his older brother, who worked as a compositor in one and Boston's print shops. So young Ben Franklin began his career.

From the very childhood, little Ben Franklin was constantly striving to learn something new. His father's modest abilities did not allow him to get a classical education. Therefore, he constantly improved his mental capacity independently: he studied foreign languages, read the works of natural scientists, studied new discoveries in physics and chemistry, was familiar with the latest achievements in higher mathematics.

Young years

At the age of 17, family circumstances forced Franklin to leave Boston. He moved to Philadelphia, where he continued to work in the printing house. Diligence and diligence allowed him to climb the career ladder, and knowledge of foreign languages was the main reason that at a young age he became a firm's attorney and went to the European continent to purchase new equipment. There he acquires fame among the educated people of England and France, becomes an ardent supporter of French thinkers.

Returning from Europe, Ben Franklin opens the printing house. His efforts create a new newspaper, in which he was the author of numerous columns, an editor and publisher. The popularity of his own publication made him an active participant in Philadelphia's public life.

Biography of Ben Franklin contains a long list of his merits. Thanks to his efforts, in 1731, the first public library appeared in Philadelphia, He founded the American Philosophical Society, took part in the work of the Philadelphia Academy, which became the prototype of the famous University of Pennsylvania.

War for independence

The first military action Ben Franklin meets in London. After hastily completing his affairs, he returns to the American continent, where he is greeted as a national hero. The day after his arrival, Franklin became a member of the Second Continental Congress. In this difficult time Ben Franklin was on the crest of popularity: he became the chief postmaster of the united American postal service, wrote the Declaration of Independence and was an adviser to the first president of the United States, J. Washington. He highly appreciated the Americans' desire for independence. In one of his speeches he asserted: "Free peoples must tirelessly and vigilantly guard their freedom."

After the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed, it was extremely important for the young state to recognize the most important players in world politics. France was an old enemy of Great Britain and was the most likely candidate for the role of an official friend of the United States. As the French ambassador, the United States chose the most educated and popular citizen of his country - Ben Franklin. And he achieved his goal - in 1778 France was the first European country to officially recognize the independence of the United States.

last years of life

In the last years of his life, Ben Franklin devoted a great number of articles to philosophical and moral themes. He created new standards for American journalism, which made it possible to write about complex things in simple language, accessible even to the less educated people. Discoveries in philosophy, in logic, the writing of new laws and between the creation of a lightning rod - that's a small part of the achievements of a man named Ben Franklin. Quotes of this great publicist and now studied by American students and quoted in daily publications. In his articles he exalted the ideas of moderation and diligence, saying that wealth is impossible without relentless labor and reasonable economy. Witty sayings concerned all aspects of American life. Franklin considered life experience to be the main school of life: "Experiencing is a harsh school in which lessons are expensive, but this is the only school worthy of learning in it."

Grateful offspring

April 17, 1790 Franklin died. Grateful Americans have duly appreciated his services to the fatherland - it is difficult to find a city in which there would not be a memorial dedicated to this figure.

Along with the great American presidents, Benjamin Franklin is depicted on a hundred-dollar bill issued by the US Treasury.