The Assembly looked into my entering into the first part of the engagement, as an essential service to the Province, since it secured the credit of the paper money then spread over all the country. They gave me their thanks in form when I return’d. But the proprietaries were enraged at Governor Denny for having pass’d the act, and turn’d him out with threats of suing him for breach of instructions which he had given bond to observe. He, however, having done it at the instance of the General, and for His Majesty’s service, and having some powerful interests at court, despis’d the threats and they were never put in execution.… [Unfinished].
[CHIEF EVENTS IN FRANKLIN’S LIFE.]
[Ending, as it does, with the year 1757, the autobiography leaves important facts unrecorded. It has seemed advisable, therefore, to detail the chief events in Franklin’s life, from the beginning, in the following list:
| 1706 | He is born, in Boston, and baptized in the Old South Church. |
| 1714 | At the age of eight, enters the Grammar School. |
| 1716 | Becomes his father’s assistant in the tallow-chandlery business. |
| 1718 | Apprenticed to his brother James, printer. |
| 1721 | Writes ballads and peddles them, in printed form, in thestreets; contributes, anonymously, to the “New EnglandCourant,” and temporarily edits that paper; becomes afree-thinker, and a vegetarian. |
| 1723 | Breaks his indenture and removes to Philadelphia; obtainsemployment in Keimer’s printing-office; abandons vegetarianism. |
| 1724 | Is persuaded by Governor Keith to establish himselfindependently, and goes to London to buy type; works at his tradethere, and publishes “Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity,Pleasure and Pain.” |
| 1726 | Returns to Philadelphia; after serving as clerk in a dry-goodsstore, becomes manager of Keimer’s printing-house. |
| 1727 | Founds the Junto, or “Leathern Apron” Club. |
| 1728 | With Hugh Meredith, opens a printing-office. |
| 1729 | Becomes proprietor and editor of the “Pennsylvania Gazette”;prints, anonymously, “Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency”;opens a stationer’s shop. |
| 1730 | Marries Deborah Read. |
| 1731 | Founds the Philadelphia Library. |
| 1732 | Publishes the first number of “Poor Richard’s Almanac” underthe pseudonym of “Richard Saunders.” The Almanac, whichcontinued for twenty-five years to contain his witty,worldly-wise sayings, played a very large part in bringingtogether and molding the American character which was atthat time made up of so many diverse and scattered types. |
| 1733 | Begins to study French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. |
| 1736 | Chosen clerk of the General Assembly; forms the Union FireCompany of Philadelphia. |
| 1737 | Elected to the Assembly; appointed Deputy Postmaster-General;plans a city police. |
| 1742 | Invents the open, or “Franklin,” stove. |
| 1743 | Proposes a plan for an Academy, which is adopted 1749 anddevelops into the University of Pennsylvania. |
| 1744 | Establishes the American Philosophical Society. |
| 1746 | Publishes a pamphlet, “Plain Truth,” on the necessity fordisciplined defense, and forms a military company; beginselectrical experiments. |
| 1748 | Sells out his printing business; is appointed on theCommission of the Peace, chosen to the Common Council,and to the Assembly. |
| 1749 | Appointed a Commissioner to trade with the Indians. |
| 1751 | Aids in founding a hospital. |
| 1752 | Experiments with a kite and discovers that lightning is anelectrical discharge. |
| 1753 | Awarded the Copley medal for this discovery, and elected amember of the Royal Society; receives the degree of M.A.from Yale and Harvard. Appointed joint Postmaster-General. |
| 1754 | Appointed one of the Commissioners from Pennsylvania to theColonial Congress at Albany; proposes a plan for the unionof the colonies. |
| 1755 | Pledges his personal property in order that supplies may beraised for Braddock’s army; obtains a grant from the Assemblyin aid of the Crown Point expedition; carries through a billestablishing a voluntary militia; is appointed Colonel,and takes the field. |
| 1757 | Introduces a bill in the Assembly for paving the streets ofPhiladelphia; publishes his famous “Way to Wealth”; goes toEngland to plead the cause of the Assembly against theProprietaries; remains as agent for Pennsylvania; enjoys thefriendship of the scientific and literary men of the kingdom. |
| [HERE THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BREAKS OFF] | |
| 1760 | Secures from the Privy Council, by a compromise, a decisionobliging the Proprietary estates to contribute to the publicrevenue. |
| 1762 | Receives the degree of LL.D. from Oxford and Edinburgh;returns to America. |
| 1763 | Makes a five months’ tour of the northern colonies for thepurpose of inspecting the post-offices. |
| 1764 | Defeated by the Penn faction for reelection to the Assembly;sent to England as agent for Pennsylvania. |
| 1765 | Endeavors to prevent the passage of the Stamp Act. |
| 1766 | Examined before the House of Commons relative to thepassage of the Stamp Act; appointed agent of Massachusetts,New Jersey, and Georgia; visits Göttingen University. |
| 1767 | Travels in France and is presented at court. |
| 1769 | Procures a telescope for Harvard College. |
| 1772 | Elected Associé Etranger of the French Academy. |
| 1774 | Dismissed from the office of Postmaster-General; influencesThomas Paine to emigrate to America. |
| 1775 | Returns to America; chosen a delegate to the Second ContinentalCongress; placed on the committee of secret correspondence;appointed one of the commissioners to secure the cooperationof Canada. |
| 1776 | Placed on the committee to draft a Declaration of Independence;chosen president of the Constitutional Committee of Pennsylvania;sent to France as agent of the colonies. |
| 1778 | Concludes treaties of defensive alliance, and of amity andcommerce; is received at court. |
| 1779 | Appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France. |
| 1780 | Appoints Paul Jones commander of the “Alliance.” |
| 1782 | Signs the preliminary articles of peace. |
| 1783 | Signs the definite treaty of peace. |
| 1785 | Returns to America; is chosen President of Pennsylvania;reelected 1786. |
| 1787 | Reelected President; sent as delegate to the convention forframing a Federal Constitution. |
| 1788 | Retires from public life. |
| 1790 | April 17, dies. His grave is in the churchyard at Fifth andArch streets, Philadelphia. |
| Editor.] | |
[On Franklin’s Autobiography]
And yet the surprising and delightful thing about this book (the Autobiography) is that, take it all in all, it has not the low tone of conceit, but is a staunch man’s sober and unaffected assessment of himself and the circumstances of his career.
Woodrow Wilson
Such, for example, was Benjamin Franklin, whose charming autobiography, in addition to being an American classic, is a fine record of self-education.
Charles A. Beard & Mary Ritter Beard
For understanding the temper and ideals of America in the eighteenth century, no writings are of equal importance with those of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, especially the Diary of the former (Works of John Adams, 10 vols. Boston, 1856) and the Autobiography of the latter, in his collected works and separately printed in many editions.
Carl Lotus Becker