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At the age of twelve, Ben Franklin first began to learn the
business of printing the truth. His older brother
James had
set up a printing office in Boston and Ben learned quickly
as an apprentice. By the time Ben was seventeen, he was a
fully skilled printer able to work in any print shop. With
this skill, Ben was able to leave Boston and find work in
both Philadelphia and London. In 1728, at the age of twenty-two,
Ben opened his own printing office in Philadelphia. His
most famous publications were a newspaper called The
Pennsylvania Gazette and his annual
Poor Richard's Almanack.
He had many new ideas for publishing and he is known for
printing cartoons, illustrated news stories, and letters to
the editor. He believed in the power of the press, using his
printing press as a way to bring
the news to all people. He
used cartoons and pictures so that everyone could understand
the news, even people who had not learned to read. Ben also used Poor Richard's Almanack to express his sense of humor.
In 1731, Ben founded America's first circulating library so
that people could borrow books to read even though they
might not have been able to afford to buy books to read.
Again, Ben wanted to use his printing press to help people
understand the world around them.
Try This...
What do you think Ben
meant?
Use Ben's original
printing blocks to read his wise sayings and then tell
what you think he meant.
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