Benjamin Franklin American Genius

<p>Benjamin Franklin was a 17-year-old runaway when he arrived in Philadelphia in 1723. Yet within days he'd found a job at a local print shop met the woman he would eventually marry and even attracted the attention of Pennsylvania's governor. A decade later he became a colonial celebrity with the publication of <i>Poor Richard: An Almanack</i> and would go on to become one of America's most distinguished Founding Fathers. Franklin established the colonies' first lending library volunteer fire company and postal service and was a leading expert in the study of electricity. He represented the Pennsylvania colony in London but returned to help draft the Declaration of Independence. The new nation then named him Minister to France where he helped secure financial and military aide for the breakaway republic.Author Brandon Marie Miller captures the essence of this exceptional individual through both his original writings and hands-on activities from the era. Readers will design and print an almanac cover play a simple glass armonica (a Franklin invention) experiment with static electricity build a barometer and more. The text also includes a time line glossary Web and travel resources and reading list for further study.