Beginning of Essay
was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. Since this was on a Sunday, his father had him immediately baptized, to avoid any superstitious curse on him. Franklin was the 15th of 17 children. When he was a boy, Franklin liked to write his name in a fa ....

Middle of Essay
.... "Spectator" and would read the essays it contained and rewrite them in his own style. He found his writing style by comparing the original essay and his and finding the mistakes. Franklin loved to read. When he was 16, he tried to save money to buy more books by only eating vegetables to cut food costs. Ben's brother treated him harsh and tyrannical. Franklin later attributed his love of independence to the years he spent as an apprentice and his aversion to the power of his brother. When he was 17, Franklin left home and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He arrived there almost penniless. He also essentially cut his ties with his famil ....