Ben Franklin

Most everyone has heard about Benjamin Franklin. He played a major role in the independence of the United States. He invented bifocals, the Franklin stove, and dabbled in electricity. But what was young Ben Franklin like? What made him the man he became?

This text is most likely

• historical fiction

• a biography

• fantasy

Ben was born into a very large household. His father, Josiah, made candles and soap for a living. He was married twice. He had seven children with his first wife. And by most accounts, he had ten children with his second wife. Ben was one of the younger children. He grew up in a loud, but loving, household. Ben's parents were Puritans.

How many times was Ben Franklin married?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Most people think of Puritans as being very stern, strict people. Ben's family was very religious. But they knew how to laugh and have a good time, too. It was Josiah Franklin's wish that Ben become a Puritan minister. It was customary for at least one male son in a Puritan family to become a minister. This brought pride and honor to the boy's family. Ben was sent to South Grammar School for the purpose of being educated enough to follow his father's plan.

Ben Franklin's father wanted Ben to become a

• a President

• an electrician

• a minister

After one year in grammar school, Josiah decided that he didn't have the money needed to pay young Ben's way. He later tried to enter his son in George Brownell's English School. Ben did well in his English courses, but failed miserably in math. His stay in that school lasted a year.

Was Ben Franklin good at math?

• Yes

• No

Ben's father decided that if his son was not going to school, then he would have to go to work. He put him to work in his soap and candle shop, but Ben wasn't interested. They looked around at many places for a suitable job. The job that sparked Ben's interest was at his half-brother's printing shop. James Franklin took Ben on as an apprentice. Ben indentured himself to his brother for nine years. He wanted to learn the trade and be able to do printing for himself

What job sparked Ben's interest?

• working in the White House

• working at a printing press

• working on a farm

In 1721, James decided to turn his printing skills into publishing a newspaper. Ben studied every phase of the printing business. He loved to read. He also loved to see how the printed words he loved to read could be printed onto the page. Ben wanted to express his own ideas in his brother's newspaper. The problem was, nobody wanted to listen to the ideas of a young boy. Ben began writing stories at home at night. He signed his stories with the name Silence Dogood. He made fun of the rich society people in Boston. Ben would slip his stories under the door of his brother's shop at night.

Ben Franklin love to

• read

• cook

• farm

James found the stories when he would open his doors in the morning. He read the stories and found them to be quite funny. He decided to print the stories in his paper. The people of Boston loved the stories. They demanded that the paper print more of them. No one knew the stories had come from a fifteen-year-old boy. After a time, James found out who the author of the stories was. He was very angry at Ben. Ben quit his job. He searched Boston for another job at a newspaper or printing firm. Unfortunately, his brother had told all of the other printers not to hire Ben.

How old was Ben when he wrote stories?

• 14

• 15

• 16

Ben was an avid reader. He felt that he could learn to do anything just by reading about it. For instance, Ben wanted to learn to swim. He found a book that told him what to do. Once he had mastered the skills he needed to swim, he wanted to swim faster. Books about amphibians sparked the idea to create paddles for his hands that propelled him through the water more quickly. That wasn't good enough. Next, he hooked a kite to his body and let the wind and the kite pull him through the water with less effort.

When Ben wanted to learn something he

• asked his teachers.

• found a book about it.

• Googled for information

The Puritan religion of Ben's parents taught that the fate of man was predestined. In other words, God decided what would happen in a person's life and there wasn't anything a person could do to change that. Young Ben Franklin had his own belief. A phrase that he coined in the early 1700's is still used today. Ben believed that "God helps them that help themselves." And that is exactly how he lived his entire life.

What religion did Ben's family practice?

• Puritan

• Methodist

• Catholic

Did you enjoy reading about Ben Franklin?

• Yes, I did.

• No, not really