Benjamin Franklin

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"We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

―Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Benjamin Franklin (17 January 1706 – 17 April 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and a noted polymath; Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.

Franklin became acquainted with Haytham Kenway when he arrived in North America, though he only met Haytham's son Ratonhnhaké:ton once in the real world. However, in an alternate reality created by an Apple of Eden, Franklin proved to be an essential ally in overthrowing King Washington.

Biography

Early life

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706, the tenth son of a soap-maker. He began working as an apprentice printer for his brother in 1718, though their relationship was rocky, particularly after Franklin's brother found out that young Benjamin had been writing for the paper under a pseudonym – Silence Dogood – and amassed a large following due to its popularity.

Benjamin ran away in 1723 and headed for Philadelphia, which became his primary residence for the rest of his life. He continued his career in printing and writing, eventually becoming the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette. His yearly almanac, Poor Richard's Almanack, became a bestselling success.

French and Indian War

"I've begun to wonder if Parliament best serves our interests. The Colonies might be better off independent and autonomous. Most of my peers however, haven't taken kindly to the suggestion."

―Benjamin Franklin speaking with Haytham Kenway.

Franklin attended the Albany Congress to discuss ending tensions with the Iroquois and defending the colonies against the French. He proposed a unified government to better organize the colonies, and drew a cartoon, "Join, or Die", depicting the colonies as a snake cut into eight parts. The proposal was accepted by the delegates at the conference, but the legislatures of the colonies and the British Board of Trade rejected the idea.

Franklin speaking to Haytham Kenway and Charles Lee

Afterwards, Franklin was staying in Boston when copies of his first almanac were stolen. Haytham Kenway noticed his distress, and offered a lending hand. Franklin expressed surprise, as those living in the colonial city usually refused to be of any help, and correctly assumed that he was new to Boston. Franklin then requested that Haytham assist him with the task of finding stolen pages of his Almanac.

Later on, Haytham met Franklin at the local general store, where he was writing a treatise on the benefits of having an older woman as a lover, much to Haytham's amusement. They met again another time, where Franklin explained the isolation he felt after the Albany Conference, as friends sought to distance themselves from his cartoon. He thanked Haytham for speaking with him, and began expressing his belief that the Thirteen Colonies should be independent from the British Crown, which greatly intrigued Haytham.

In 1757, Franklin went to London to represent Pennsylvania in an ongoing legal battle with William Penn's family. It was the first of several extended political trips to Britain, and he would act as the state representative for Massachusetts, Georgia and New Jersey as well.

American Revolution

Franklin was a vocal opponent of British impositions on the colonies (like the Stamp Act), and though he fought for the rights of colonists as British citizens, he became convinced that independence was the only real solution. Unfortunately, Franklin's change of heart made him clash with his son, William, the Royal Governor of New Jersey. William remained an active Loyalist – the father and son never spoke again.

Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence

Benjamin also contributed to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which was primarily drafted by Thomas Jefferson. On 4 July 1776, Franklin was present alongside Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Adams' ally Ratonhnhaké:ton, where he signed the Declaration right after Hancock. For the rest of the American Revolutionary War, Franklin lived in Paris as America's ambassador to France.

Alternate timeline

After King Washington gained control over the thirteen colonies of the United States, he put Franklin in charge of running Boston. While under Washington's control, Franklin was still hesitant of the King's decisions, claiming one such order to behead random civilians to be "rather harsh." After being freed from Washington's control by Ratonhnhaké:ton, Franklin sought to help the rebellion take down King Washington.

Legacy

Franklin was an inventor and scientist. To this day, he is best known for flying a kite with a metal key attached to the bottom through storm clouds, to see if he could pick up an electrical charge and thereby prove lightning was electricity.

Benjamin also invented the Franklin stove, a metal fireplace that could be placed in the middle of a room, rather than outside. Its efficiency displayed itself in that it could use a quarter of the wood of a traditional fireplace, but gave off twice as much heat. This stove also had a much smaller chance of giving off a spark that would start a fire.

Despite its ingenuity, Franklin decided not to patent the stove, as he wanted people to use his invention free of charge. This did not stop others from profiting with modified versions of the device, however.

Accompanying this, he introduced the busybody, a set of three mirrors hung from a second floor window, based on a similar design he saw in Europe. These mirrors were angled so that people could look out to see who was knocking at their front door – a difficult prospect in parts of Philadelphia, where the buildings were high and narrow.

From there, he created the glass armonica, a musical instrument consisting of bowls stacked together, which a person could use a treadle to turn and 'play' by running a wet finger along the turning edges of the bowls. He came up with this idea after seeing someone 'play' water-filled wine glasses at a show in London. The armonica debuted in London in 1762, and became quite popular for a time – particularly in Germany, where Mozart wrote two pieces for it. However, its success was short-lived, because there was no way to amplify it to be heard in large concert halls at the time.

Ratonhnhaké:ton displayed these inventions, and the kite and key, in a room at the Davenport Homestead. In a separate room, he kept copies of Poor Richard's Almanack.

Trivia

File:Benjamin Franklin concept Gameinformer.png

Concept art of Benjamin Franklin

• Franklin's advice to pursue relationships with older women comes from the letter "Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress".
• Franklin's cartoon "Join, or Die" is displayed prominently around Boston.
• Although the kite and key is shown in the game, it is debatable whether Franklin ever performed the experiment.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed III