Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin with introduction and notes edited by Charles W. Eliot

is a publicationof the Pennsylvania State University. This Portable Document file is furnished free and without any charge ofany kind.AnAnAnAnAny per y per y per y per y per son using this document fileson using this document fileson using this document fileson using this document fileson using this document file,,,,,fffffor anor anor anor anor any pur y pur y pur y pur y pur poseposeposeposepose,,,,,and in anand in anand in anand in anand in any wy wy wy wy waaaaay does so ay does so ay does so ay does so ay does so at his or her ot his or her ot his or her ot his or her ot his or her ownwnwnwnwnrisk.risk.risk.risk.risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, nor anyone associated with thePennsylvania State University assumes any responsibility for the material contained within the document or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin with introduction and notes edited by Charles W. Eliot

, the Pennsylva-nia State University, Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, Hazleton, PA 18201-1291 is a Portable Document File produced as partof an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access ofthose wishing to make use of them, and as such is a part of the Pennsylvania State Universitys Electronic ClassicsSeries.Cover design: Jim ManisCopyright © 1998 The Pennsylvania State University

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THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OFBENJAMIN FRANKLIN

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES EDITEDBY CHARLES W. ELIOT, L.L.D.,P. F. COLLIER & SON COMPANY, NEW YORK(1909)INTRODUCTORY NOTE

Benjamin Franklin was born in Milk Street, Boston, on Janu-ary 6, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chan-dler who married twice, and of his seventeen children Ben- jamin was the youngest son. His schooling ended at ten,and at twelve he was bound apprentice to his brother James,a printer, who published the “New England Courant.” To this journal he became a contributor, and later was for a time itsnominal editor. But the brothers quarreled, and Benjaminran away, going first to New York, and thence to Philadel-phia, where he arrived in October, 1723. He soon obtainedwork as a printer, but after a few months he was induced byGovernor Keith to go to London, where, finding Keith’s prom-ises empty, he again worked as a compositor till he wasbrought back to Philadelphia by a merchant named Denman,who gave him a position in his business. On Denman’s deathhe returned to his former trade, and shortly set up a print-ing house of his own from which he published “The Pennsyl-vania Gazette,” to which he contributed many essays, andwhich he made a medium for agitating a variety of localreforms. In 1732 he began to issue his famous “Poor Richard’sAlmanac” for the enrichment of which he borrowed or com-posed those pithy utterances of worldly wisdom which arethe basis of a large part of his popular reputation. In 1758,the year in which he ceases writing for the Almanac, heprinted in it “Father Abraham’s Sermon,” now regarded asthe most famous piece of literature produced in ColonialAmerica.Meantime Franklin was concerning himself more and morewith public affairs. He set forth a scheme for an Academy,which was taken up later and finally developed into theUniversity of Pennsylvania; and he founded an “American

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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