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Previous Issues > March 2006 > Way Back When > B. Franklin Printer
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 Way Back When
B. Franklin Printer
In honor of the 300th anniversary of Ben Franklins birthday, Kidsville News! will run a five-part educational series based on curriculum provided by the Ben
Franklin Tercentenary. This is the second part of that series.
Learning the Printing Trade
Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706, to Josiah and Abiah Franklin. He was the ninth of 11 children residing in a small, wooden house on Milk Street in Boston. After attending Bostons South Grammar School for just two years, the young Benjamin Franklins education was cut short when his father decided he should learn a trade. At 12, Franklin was made an apprentice to his brother James, a printer, and labored in his shop over the next five years. The printing trade was both mentally and physically demanding, but Franklin learned it easily and well.
At 17, Franklin arrived in Philadelphia and right away began establishing himself as a printer. He opened his own printing shop on Market Street in 1730, where he and his wife Deborah also sold stationery and dry goods. For Franklin, the printing trade provided more than just an income: he used his press for various aims, from advocating the need for paper money to sharing common sense advice. His witty and wise writings in Poor Richards Almanack and his broadcast of colonial happenings in The Pennsylvania Gazette helped make Franklin a prominent figure in Philadelphia. By the end of his life, Franklin had succeeded in various careers. Of all his accomplishments, he most wished to be remembered as B. Franklin, Printer.
Join, or Die: The First Political Cartoon
For Franklin, the printing trade provided more than just an income: he used his press to spread ideas and to influence public opinion. His witty and wise writings in Poor Richards Almanack put a humorous spin on age-old advice, and many of his aphorisms are frequently referenced today. (An almanac was a useful book containing information that related to the everyday lives of people in the coloniesadvice for farmers, weather forecasts, riddles, recipes, and poems.) In Colonial America, many homes had only two books: the Bible and an almanac. As a result, newspapers were a primary source of reading material for many colonists. Franklin often used his newspaper to promote his own ideas, both in writing and in pictures.
Benjamin Franklin printed the first political cartoon in The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. At the time, the colonies faced threats from both the French and Native Americans. Franklin created this illustration of a disjointed snake with the phrase Join, or Die underneath it. Each segment of the snake represents a colony. With this cartoon, Franklin was one of the first people to suggest that the colonies must join together or else be taken over by stronger powers.
Information provided by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, www.benfranklin300.org. For more information, or for a teachers guide to Ben Across the Curriculum, please refer to the website under the Education tab.
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