Anderson

Anderson Park Social Studies 5-K January 20,2016

Benjamin Franklin had some hard times as a youth. He was thought of to be a child of the Devil. He failed in arithmetic and only had two years of school. Also, he was an apprentice to his harsh brother. Although he faced a lot of problems, Benjamin Franklin did not give up. Instead he kept on moving forward and even tried harder to succeed.

Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17,1706. At the time, Boston still belonged to the English. In that period, if you were born on a Sunday you were thought to be a child of the Devil. Making it even worse for Benjamin Franklin was that he was left-handed. Being left handed was also a symbol of the Devil. If Ben was caught using his left hand his father would punish him. Even after being punished a lot Ben would still use his left hand through out his whole life.

Benjamin Franklin went to school for only two years. As a student, he struggled at arithmetic, but did very well in writing and reading. This might have been because of his love for books. Ben would read the books his family had and borrow other books from his neighbors. After being taken out of school, he was put into a candle making shop. However, he hated working there.

Benjamin Franklin so disliked working at the candle shop and griped about it so much his parents decided he should become an apprentice under James, his older brother,who was working at the Pennsylvania Gazette. Just like every other apprentice, James needed to find his brother Ben a home. He stayed with a family that was taking care of other apprentices. Benjamin Franklin was diligent and a quick learner. Although he was a hard worker, his brother was a hard master. James wanted to show the other workers and apprentices that he did not favor his younger brother. So James was stricter with Ben and when he, Ben, did something wrong he was often beaten.

Although Benjamin Franklin has had a hard life as a child with many obstacles to overcome, he became a very important and an inspiring figure as an adult. His hard working ethics helped him become a wonderful inventor and one of the greatest founding fathers.

Sources: Who was Benjamin Franklin http://www.ducksters.com/biography/ben_franklin.php https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

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