Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

By Tom Kirvan

While July 4th is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States, American independence was cemented on September 3, 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the Revolutionary War with Great Britain and establishing borders for the new nation.

One of the primary architects of the treaty was Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, a renowned statesman and inventor who also was influential in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. In fact, he was the only Founding Father who signed all three documents that freed America from British rule that began in the early 1600s when colonies were established.

A Boston native, Franklin was the youngest of 10 children, rising from humble beginnings to become one of the most important figures in American history. His face, which is depicted on the $100 bill, helps personify the American dream, as does his entrepreneurial spirit in inventing the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, bifocals, and the odometer. He also contributed greatly to the understanding of electricity, coining such terms as battery, charge, and conductor.

Benjamin Franklin

In addition to his scientific knowhow, Franklin also was a wordsmith, contributing such gems as “a penny saved is a penny earned” and the immortal phrase, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

Other quotes of note from Franklin, who died at the age of 84 in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 17, 1790:

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."
"Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”
“Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.”
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
“Well done is better than well said.”