Early Career

In the 1750s and 1760s, Franklin spent much of his time in London, England. At first, he acted as the voice of the Pennsylvania colonists to the British Parliament, mostly protesting the influence of the Penn family on the colony. Later, he represented all of the American colonies when he spoke out against the much hated Stamp Act of 1765. His arguments eventually led to the repeal of the act by Parliament.

In 1732, Franklin first published Poor Richard's Almanack. It was a yearly pamphlet that Franklin wrote under the pseudonym (fake name) of "Richard Saunders", also known as "Poor Richard." The pamphlet included all sorts of interesting information including poems, a calendar, interesting sayings, weather predictions, and scientific information. Franklin made a good income by selling the pamphlet. He published up to 10,000 copies a year for the next 25 years.

Revolutionary War and the Continental Congress

Franklin was still living in London as the Revolutionary War approached. It was Franklin who first suggested that the colonies meet at the First Continental Congress in 1774. Franklin later delivered their petition to King George III of England. In 1775, Franklin returned to Philadelphia and was elected as the Pennsylvania delegate to the Second Continental Congress. By this time the Revolutionary War had begun. Franklin played an important role in the early part of the Revolutionary War. He was part of the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the nation's first Postmaster General.

Fun Facts about Ben Franklin

• Ben was his dad's 15th child of 17 total children!

• Ben Franklin was the first Postmaster General of the United States.

• Later in life, Ben set his slaves free and became a fighter for the freedom of slaves.

• He didn't patent any of his many inventions, letting people use his ideas for free.

• Franklin became fairly wealthy from the publishing of Poor Richard's Almanack.

• He loved playing chess and was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 1999.

• As a teenager, Franklin had several letters published in his brother's newspaper under the fake name "Silence Dogood." His brother was not happy when he found out.

• During his life, Franklin's views on slavery changed dramatically. In 1748, he purchased his first slave, but by 1760 he had freed all of his slaves. He became a staunch abolitionist and spent much of his later life campaigning for an end to slavery.