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Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)
Ranked among the
country’s greatest statesmen, Franklin was also known as a
printer, author, diplomat, philosopher, and scientist.
Franklin made many contributions to the cause of the
American Revolution and the newly formed federal
government that followed. Franklin engaged in many public
projects and in 1731 he founded what was probably the
first public library in America, chartered in 1742 as the
Philadelphia Library.
Ben Franklin became one of the committee of five chosen to
draft the
Declaration of Independence. He was also one of the
signers of the document and addressed the assembly with
the statement: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we
shall all hang separately.” Upon the conclusion of the
American War for independence, Franklin, John Adams, and
John Jay were appointed to conclude a treaty of peace with
Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris was signed at
Versailles on September 3, 1783. In 1787 he was elected to
be a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, the
convention that drew up the
U.S.
Constitution. |
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