Throughout history, many people have made a lasting impact on society in America. In just picking
out certain time periods, there are numbers of people who had great significance in this country. Focusing
on the years between 1750 and 1850, certain people stand out because of the influence they had due to
their achievements. One of these people was a man by the name of Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin
was an important individual that came to be known as a printer, scientist, and diplomat.
Firstly, Benjamin Franklin began making his living as a printer. His brother, James Franklin,
established the "New England Courant". At the early age of 15, Benjamin would deliver the paper during the
day. Then, he would write articles for it during the night time. However, the paper had a liberal bias, and was
disliked by the colonial authorities. Just one year after they had begun publishing the paper, his brother was
imprisoned due to an article that was considered offensive, and was forbidden to continue printing it. So,
Franklin began to publish it under his name.
Secondly, Benjamin Franklin became interested in conducting electrical experiments. He eventually
advanced the theory of the Leyden jar, supported the hypothesis that lightning is an electrical phenomenon,
and proposed a method that would effectively demonstrate this fact. He was the inventor of the lightning rod,
and came up with a theory to explain positive and negative energy. As a result of his scientific
accomplishments, Franklin received honorary degrees from the University of Saint Andrews and the
Thirdly, Benjamin Franklin was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1750, and served on it until
1764. Also, he was appointed deputy postmaster general for the colonies in 1753, and was a delegate from
Pennsylvania to the intercolonial congress one year later. This congress met
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