Famous colonial americans

Franklinskiteexperiment,PhillisWheatley,FamousColonialAmericans:BenjaminFranklinborninBoston;printer;inventor;helpledwriteDeclarationofIndependence.,afemaleslave;borninSenegal;wrotepoetry,publishedbooks;livedinBoston;successful,creative;hadstrongfeelingsaboutAmericanindependence,Vocabularycheck,TaskConPage129,UnderstandingPronouns,TaskDonPage129,BenjaminFranklinandPhillisWheatleyweretwofamousColonialAmericans.Theyweredifferentfromeachotherinmanyways:onewasamiddle-classwhitemanborninBostonMassachusetts,theotherwasafemaleslavecreativeindividuals,andbothhadstrongfeelingsaboutAmericanindependence.BenjaminFranklinBenjaminFranklinwasbornintoalargefamilyinBoston,Massachusetts,in1760.Whenhewasachild,hisparentsmadehimworkintheirsoapandcandleshop.ButFranklindidntlikethatkindofwork.Hewas,verysmartandhadbigideas,sohewenttoworkasaprinterinhisbrothersprintingshop.Incolonialtimes,printerspublishedallkindsofthings:newspapers,books,pamphlets,veryshortbookswithoutcovers,andevenplayingcards.Franklinenjoyedtheprintingbusiness,buthealsolovedtowrite.Soonhewasprintinghisownessays.Later,FranklinmovedtoPhiladelphiaandstartedhisownbusiness.InPhiladelphia,hepublishedanewspaper,ThePennsylvaniaGazette,anddozensofhisownessays,pamphlets,andarticles.Heevenpublishedhis,autobiography.Surprisingly,hewrotethisstoryofhisownlifealthoughhewasstillayoungman.FranklinalsopublishedabookthathewrotecalledPoorRichardsAlmanackandtheveryfirstnoveleverprintedinAmerica-Pamela,bySamuelRichardson.Franklinretiredfromtheprintingbusinesswhenhewasinhisforties.Afterhestoppedworking,hespenttimeonhisotherinterests:science,inventions,andpolitics.Franklinwascuriousabouteverything.Hewasespeciallyinterestedinelectricity.Hehadatheory.Hisideawasthatlightningwasreallyelectricity.,Toprovethisheperformedhisfamouskiteexperiment:heattachedapieceofmetaltothetopofakite,akeytothekitestring,andflewthekiteduringastorm.Whenlightninghitthepieceofmetalonthekite,Franklintouchedthekey.Whenhegotashock,heknewthathistheorywascorrect.Inhislifetime,Franklininventedmanyusefulthings.Oneofhisinventionswasthelightningrod,ametalpoleonthetopofabuilding.Duringathunderstormitattractslightningandkeepsthebuildingandthepeopleinsidesafe.,In1751,FranklinjoinedthePennsylvaniaAssembly.Thisbeganhiscareerinpolitics.Soonhebecameinterstedinunitingthecolonies.Likemanypeople,hethoughtthecolonicsshouldjointogetherunderonegovernmentandseparatefromEngland.In1776,hehelpedwritetheDeclarationofIndependence.AftertheWarforIndependence(1775-1783),FranklinhelpedformthenewAmericangovernment.Heworkedtoendslavery(althoughhewasntsuccessful),andcontinuedtoinventthings.Hediedin1790attheageof84.,Notmanywomenwerewell-knowduringcolonialtimes,andalmostnowomenbecamepublishedpoets.However,thereweresomeexceptions.Unlikemostslavewomen,PhillisWheatleyreceivedaneducation.ShealsobecameapopularpoetinbothEnglandandAmerican.PhillisWheatleywasborninSenegal,Africainabout1751.In1761,JohnandSusannahWheatleyboughtherasaslaveinBoston.The,Wheatleystaughthertoreadandwrite.Thiswasunusual:mostslaveownersdidnotwanttoeducatetheirslaves.Phillisalsolearnedhistory,geography,andLatin.Philliswroteherfirstpoemattheageofthirteen.ItwasaboutthekingofEngland,GeorgeIII,andhowhappypeoplewerewhenhecanceledaveryunpopularlawinthecoloniescalledtheStampAct.ThepoemwassogoodthattheWeatleysgavePhillislessworktodoandletherspendmostofhertimewriting.,TheWheatleysgavePhillisherfreedomin1773,andshewenttoEnglandwhereshemetotherwriters.Herfirstbook,PoemsonVarousSubjectsReligiousandMoral,waspublished.Atthattime,therewerentmanybooksofpoetrybyAmericans,andthiswasthefirstonebyablackwoman.ManyofPhillispoemswereaboutherreligiousbeliefsandaboutslavery.Philliswasalsointerestedinindependenceforthecolonies,andsheadmiredGeorgeWashington.,InApril1776,shewrotea