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Known for
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Contributing to the formation of the United States and representing the country abroad
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Experimenting with electricity and developing inventions
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Milestones
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1723 Left home in Boston at the age of 17, eventually establishing himself as a printer in Philadelphia
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1729 Bought the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper, which he published until his retirement in 1748
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1732-1757 Published Poor Richard's Almanack |
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1751-1764 Served several terms as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly
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1752 Conducted his famous experiment with a kite, proving that lightning is an electrical phenomenon
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1753 Appointed deputy postmaster general to the colonies
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1775 Served as a member of the Second Continental Congress, and was appointed to the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence
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1776-1785 Served as ambassador to France, successfully securing French support for the newly formed United States
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1785 Won election as president of the executive council of Pennsylvania
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1787 As a member of the Constitutional Convention, helped to establish consensus on the provisions for a federal government
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Did You Know
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Franklin worked unstintingly to build compromise and consensus during the Constitutional Convention. In the end, he urged the delegates to adopt the Constitution unanimously as a show of solidarity for the states, even though he himself did not approve of all its provisions.
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Franklin worked to abolish slavery in the United States.
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His success as a printer enabled Franklin to retire at age 42 and pursue his scientific and political interests.
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Franklin invented bifocals and the lightning rod, and charted the course of the Gulf Stream.
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