
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' Summary
Part One of the Autobiography is addressed to Franklin's son William, at that time (1771) Royal Governor of New Jersey. While in England at the estate of the Bishop of St Asaph in Twyford, Franklin, now 65 years old, begins by saying that it may be agreeable to his son to know some of the incidents of his father's life; so with a week's uninterrupted leisure, he is beginning to write them down for William. He starts with some anecdotes of his grandfather, uncles, father and mother. He deals with his childhood, fondness for reading, and service as an apprentice to his brother James Franklin, a Boston printer and publisher of the New-England Courant. After improving his writing skills through study of the Spectator by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele, he writes an anonymous paper and slips it under the door of the printing house by night. Not knowing its author, James and his friends praise the paper and it is published in the Courant, which encourages Ben to produce more essays (the "Silence Dogood" essays), which are also published. When Ben reveals his authorship, James is angered, thinking the recognition of his papers will make Ben too vain. James and Ben have frequent disputes, and Ben seeks a way to escape from working under James.
Eventually James gets in trouble with the colonial assembly, which jails him for a short time and then forbids him to continue publishing his paper. James and his friends come up with the stratagem that the Courant should hereafter be published under the name of Benjamin Franklin, although James will still actually be in control. James signs a discharge of Ben's apprenticeship papers but writes up new private indenture papers for Ben to sign which will secure Ben's service for the remainder of the agreed time. But when a fresh disagreement arises between the brothers, Ben chooses to leave James, correctly judging that James will not dare to produce the secret indenture papers. ("It was not fair in me to take this Advantage", Franklin comments, "and this I therefore reckon one of the first Errata of my life".) James does, however, make it impossible for Ben to get work anywhere else in Boston. Sneaking onto a ship without his father or brother's knowledge, Ben heads for New York City, but the printer William Bradford is unable to employ him; however, he tells Ben that his son Andrew, a Philadelphia printer, may be able to use him since one of his son's principal employees had just died.
By the time Ben reaches Philadelphia, Andrew Bradford has already replaced his employee but refers Ben to Samuel Keimer, another printer in the city, who is able to give him work. The Governor, Sir William Keith, takes notice of Franklin and offers to set him up in business for himself. On Keith's recommendation, Franklin goes to London for printing supplies, but when he arrives, he finds that Keith has not written the promised letter of recommendation for him, and that "no one who knew him had the smallest Dependence on him". Franklin finds work in London until an opportunity arises of returning to Philadelphia as an assistant to Thomas Denham, a Quaker merchant; but when Denham takes ill and dies, he returns to manage Keimer's shop. Keimer soon comes to feel that Franklin's wages are too high and provokes a quarrel which causes the latter to quit. At this point a fellow employee, Hugh Meredith, suggests that Franklin and he set up a partnership to start a printing shop of their own; this is subsidized by funds from Meredith's father, though most of the work is done by Franklin as Meredith is not much of a press worker and is given to drinking.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
American EnglishPublished In
1791Authors

Benjamin Franklin
United States
Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity, initially as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies. As the first Unit...
Books by Benjamin FranklinDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Story of My Life and Work by Booker T. Washington
This autobiography recounts the life and work of Booker T. Washington, a prominent African American leader who rose from slavery to become a leading a...

Richard III (Makers of History Series) by Jacob Abbott
Jacob Abbott in KING RICHARD III has attempted to introduce the life and times off Richard the Third of England. He displays enthusiasm and knowledge...

Libro de la Vida by Saint Teresa of Avila
El Libro de la Vida es una autobiografía espiritual escrita por Santa Teresa de Ávila. Narra su viaje espiritual, desde su infancia hasta la fundación...

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass d...

Life and Adventures of Jack Engle by Walt Whitman
Life and Adventures of Jack Engle: An Auto-Biography: A Story of New York at the Present Time in Which the Reader Will Find Some Familiar Characters i...

Bismarck and the Origin of the German Empire by Sir Frederick Maurice Powicke
Despite its brevity, this Little Blue Book by the Oxford historian, Sir F.M. Powicke, provides a valuable overview of the political history of Germany...

Joseph Conrad by Hugh Walpole
This is a literary biography of Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) who is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English. He was granted British nation...

Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Years 1799-1804, Vol.2 by Alexander von Humboldt
What if you could travel back in time and explore the uncharted wilderness of South America with one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century?...

Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon
Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (commonly known as Madame Guyon) (April 13, 1648 - June 9, 1717) was a French mystic and one of the key advocat...

An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable and Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton by John Newton
his former life as a slave trader and as eventual opponent of the slave trade in Britain. These 14 short letters cover his early life to about 1755 an...
Reviews for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
No reviews posted or approved, yet...