Benjamin Franklin — The Self-Made American Scholar, Inventor, And Revolutionist Must Be Celebrated

Benjamin Franklin is one of the founding fathers of America, together with George Washington, Paul Revere, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Tomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Cock, and Gouverneur Morris.

Benjamin Franklin played a significant role in the liberation of America and in early American history.

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 and he died in 1790 as a statesman, author, publisher, inventor, scientist, and diplomat. His role in the revolution and independence of America is so significant because he is the only founding father to have signed all four key documents establishing the United States: the Declaration of Independence (1776); the Treaty of Alliance with France (1978); the Treaty of Paris, establishing peace with Great Britain (1783); and the United States Constitution (1787).

In 1754, at a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the colonies under a national congress. Although his Albany Plan was rejected, it helped lay the groundwork for the Articles of Confederation, which became the first constitution of the United States when ratified in 1781.

Franklin, unlike other children at the time, was not given an opportunity to have formal education, but with determination and foresight he dedicated himself to reading and rigorous studies. After dropping out of school at the age 10, he became a very skilled writer.

In the 1730s Benjamin Franklin got very much involved in civic affairs and was involved in establishing a number of community organizations in Philadelphia, including a leading library which he founded in 1731, a time when books weren’t widely available in the colonies. His library remained the largest U.S. public library until the 1850s, according to reports.

Benjamin Franklin also helped in founding the first fire company, a police patrol, and an American philosophical society; he organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised funds to build a city hospital, and organized a program to pave and light city streets. He was additionally instrumental in the creation of the Academy of Philadelphia in 1751, which will become known as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791.

Benjamin, apart from working in very different capacities in positions of authority, was appointed as the first postmaster general of the United States by the Continental Congress, a position he held until November 1776.

As an inventor, Benjamin Franklin, in 1776, conducted experiments that contributed to the understanding of electricity and invented the lighting rod which protected buildings from fires caused by lighting.

It is also documented that in addition to electricity, Franklin studied other important topics, including ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold, and refrigeration. He then developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using less fuel than other stoves

Benjamin Franklin is such a dedicated man who has devoted all his time and life to the good of the United States that all his achievements cannot be enumerated in this article.

It is just important, considering the contributions and dedication of such a gallant man towards the liberation and development of America today, that he must be celebrated.

It is the vision, dedication, and good purpose of such great people like Benjamin Franklin that the United States of America has become what it is today, and it is therefore important and of good purpose that a special day be set aside to celebrate the vision and achievements of Benjamin Franklin to serve as a motivation to all Americans, especially the youth everywhere in the world, to rededicate and commit themselves to sacrificing for the good and development of the United States of America.

It is important that we celebrate Benjamin Franklin, apart from the few memorials in his name, because he has chalked a lot of successes not only as an American statesman, but as a scholar, author, publisher, inventor, scientist, and diplomat.

[Image via Wikimedia]