{{Quote|We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.|Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.|Assassin's Creed III}}
{{Character Infobox
|image = ACIII-BenjaminF.png
|birth = 17 January 1706<br>[[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], British America
||death = 17 April 1790 (aged 84)<br>[[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States]]
'''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]]. He only met Haytham's son [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] once in the real world, but in an [[The Tyranny of King Washington|alternate reality]] created by an [[Apple of Eden 3|Apple of Eden]], he was an essential ally in overthrowing [[George Washington|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, as an apprentice printer. However, their relationship was rocky, particularly after the elder Franklin found out that young Benjamin had been writing for the paper under a pseudonym - Silence Dogood - and writing an extremely popular column at that.
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 ''{{Wiki|Pennsylvania Gazette}}''. His yearly almanac, ''{{Wiki|Poor Richard's Almanack}}'', became a bestselling success.
===French and Indian War===
{{Quote|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|Assassin's Creed III}}
Franklin attended the {{Wiki|Albany Congress}} to discuss ending tensions with the [[Iroquois]] and defending the colonies against the [[France|French]]. He proposed a unified government to better organize the colonies, and drew a cartoon, "{{Wiki|Join, or Die}}", depicting the colonies as a [[Snakes|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.
[[File:ACIII-WtB 2.png|thumb|left|250px|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 Boston 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 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 the Penn family. It was the first of several extended political trips to [[United Kingdom|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 although he first fought for the rights of Colonists as British citizens he eventually became convinced that independence was the only real solution. Unfortunately, Franklin's change of heart made him clash with his son, William - who served as the Royal Governor of New Jersey. William remained an active Loyalist - the father and son never spoke again.
[[File:ACIII-Publicexecution_13.png|thumb|250px|Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence]]
He co-wrote the [[Declaration of Independence]]. 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|war]], Franklin lived in [[Paris]] as America's ambassador to France.
==Discoveries and inventions==
Franklin was an inventor and scientist. 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.
He invented the Franklin Stove, a metal fireplace that could be placed in the middle of a room, rather than on the outside. According to Franklin's designs, it could use 1/4 of the wood of a traditional fireplace, but give off twice as much heat. It also had a much smaller chance of giving off a spark that start a fire. He 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.
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 are high and narrow.
He created the glass armonica, a musical instrument consisting of stacked bowls stacked together, which the player could use a treadle to turn and 'play' by running a wet finger along the turning edges of the bowls. He came up with the 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.
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''.
==Alternate timeline==
After [[George Washington|King Washington]] gained control over the area, 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.
==Trivia==
[[File:Benjamin_Franklin_concept_Gameinformer.png|thumb|150px|Concept art of Benjamin Franklin]]
*Franklin's advice to pursue relationships with older women comes from the letter "{{Wiki|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.
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==Reference==
*''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''
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Revision as of 23:23, 4 May 2013
A slave auction in New York
Slavery is the subjugation of another person, to be bought and sold for forced labor. The First Civilization created humans to be their slaves, and the Assassins believe the Templars intend to return humanity to that state.
The First Civilization controlled humanity with the Pieces of Eden. However, interbreeding led to the birth of hybrids like Adam and Eve, who were immune to the power of these devices, causing the Human-First Civilization War.[1]
"What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. (3) Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves."
Despite their relative benevolence to the majority of Templar activities, many Assassins expressed discomfort with their Order. When Desmond Miles was rescued by the Assassins, he assumed they were the "good guys", but Shaun Hastings advised him to "not get carried away", reminding him their function was to kill people. Rebecca Crane acknowledged "it's not ideal. And taking a life is never easy. But sometimes there's no other way. Sometimes, Desmond, people have to die for things to change."[1] Desmond's ancestor Connor tried to avoid killing William Johnson, and when he had to, he told his Mentor Achilles that "I thought it might bring clarity. Or instill a sense of accomplishment. But all I feel is regret." Achilles comforted him, explaining to "hold fast to that. Such sacrifices must never come lightly."[2]
Both Desmond and Lucy Stillman fell out with their leader William Miles: his cold demeanour and the harsh training he put them through since childhood led Desmond to regard his father as a "[prison] warden" rather than a father.[3] Lucy defected to the Templars after being sent to infiltrate them, telling Clay Kaczmarek that William was "using" them and claimed "he doesn't think about the lives he's hurting. We aren't people to him."[4]
Nikolai Orelov served the Order to please his father, with whom he had a negative relationship. When he left, he felt "I began as a crusader for change and now I am no better than a common grave-robber."[5] When the Assassins in the FBI began holding his family hostage to make him give up his secrets, he opined to his son Innokenti "These are not honourable men, Kenya. They are killers. They live by old laws which apply only to them and then call themselves heroes." However, Orelov was also brutal towards his son when training him to fight the Assassins. Viewing these events via his genetic memory, Orelov's great-grandson Daniel Cross deemed the Assassins "a family of wolves, opportunistic, savage. They'll turn on each other at a moment's notice: they're anarchists. And anarchy can never lead to a unified world."[6]
Connor expressed disdain for the Assassins' secrecy, an opinion shared centuries earlier by some Assassins under Altaïr's leadership, who disagreed with him taking the Order back underground. Altaïr wrote "They grow angry, insisting it is a mistake to shroud ourselves. They say it slows our work. But they do not understand the risks. To expose ourselves now would be too dangerous. I fear we would be branded madmen and attacked."[1]
One of Talal's slaves