1 Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706. Massachusetts was then one of the thirteen American colonies that belonged to England.
2 There were seventeen Franklin children. Benjamin’s father hoped that Benjamin, the tenth and youngest son, would grow up to be a minister.
3 Benjamin always had lots of ideas. When he was still a young boy, he invented swimming paddles that fit over his hands and helped him swim faster.
4 Benjamin began school when he was eight years old. He had good handwriting and was an excellent reader, but he did poorly in arithmetic.
5 Benjamin’s father did not have enough money to keep him in school. When Benjamin was ten, he began to work in his father’s soap-and-candle shop. Benjamin cut wicks, poured hot wax into candle molds, and did errands. He hated the smell of the wax and the boiling soap. He hated making candles.
6 Benjamin wrote poetry. He loved books and reading. So when he was twelve, his father put Benjamin to work in a print shop. The printer and owner of the shop was James Franklin, Benjamin’s older brother.
7 James Franklin printed one of the first newspapers in America, The New England Courant. Benjamin set type and ran the press. He also wrote clever articles for the newspaper. He signed them Mistress Silence Dogood so no one would know who wrote them. James was angry when he found out that his brother was Silence Dogood. He refused to print any more of the articles.
8 In 1728, when Benjamin was twenty-two, he set up his own print shop and published
a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. Benjamin worked hard. He became the official
printer of Pennsylvania. Later he became the official printer for New Jersey, Delaware,
and Maryland, too.
9 Once a year, beginning in 1732, Benjamin printed Poor Richard’s Almanack. At the time, it was the most popular almanac in America. It had information on the weather, recipes, and a calendar of important dates. It also had stories and wise sayings, including "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" and "Haste makes waste."
10 Benjamin Franklin helped set up Philadelphia’s first fire and police departments. He helped to start the first lending library and the first hospital in America. He was made postmaster of Philadelphia and later postmaster of all thirteen American colonies.
11 Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove. It saved fuel and heated a room better than a fireplace. He invented bifocal glasses and a "long arm" to reach books on high shelves. He also invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.
12 Benjamin Franklin was very interested in electricity. In one dangerous experiment, he flew a kite in a thunderstorm. When lightning struck the kite, sparks flew from a key attached to the string. Benjamin had proved that lightning is electricity.
13 In 1765 Benjamin went to England. He spoke at the English House of Commons against the Stamp Act, a tax which the American colonists felt was unfair. Franklin helped to convince the English to end the tax.
14 Benjamin Franklin remained in England for ten years. He told the English king and his advisors to give people in the thirteen colonies more rights and freedom. But the king refused.
15 Benjamin Franklin returned to the colonies in 1775, soon after the beginning of the American Revolution. He was at the Second Continental Congress and was chosen to help write the Declaration of Independence.
Text copyright © 1990 by David A. Adler. All rights reserved. Reprinted from A PICTURE BOOK OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN by permission of Holiday House, Inc.
A. candle-maker and librarian.
B. policeman and inventor.
C. fireman and postmaster.
D. printer and inventor.
A. was the youngest son.
B. loved books and reading.
C. had good handwriting.
D. wanted to be a minister.
| He also wrote clever articles for the newspaper. |
The word clever means
A. smart and funny.
B. old fashioned.
C. long and boring.
D. science fiction.
A. He ran his own printing business.
B. He invented swimming paddles.
C. He worked for his brother.
D. He made soap and candles.
A. useful information.
B. witty sayings.
C. maps and charts.
D. scientific words.
A. be postmaster of the American colonies.
B. help write the Declaration of Independence.
C. go to England to meet with the king.
D. conduct experiments with electricity.
A. in order of importance, from most to least important
B. in order from his old age to his youth
C. in the order in which they happened
D. in the order in which they were remembered
A. did not have many friends.
B. was intelligent but poor.
C. traveled to many places in England.
D. did many important things.