Friday, August 28, 2015

What was Franklin's condition in life when he arrived in Philadephia?

 When he arrived in Philadelphia, he was very poor, having sold some of his precious books to get the money for the journey. Arriving in Philadephia, he soon began to regret leaving home.  He had very little money, was exhausted and starving, he looked like a vagrant, and was approached as a possible runnaway servant because he was so dirty.


He held two jobs at once, working for both William Bradford, a printer and at Keimer's Printing House.  Working for both these men, Franklin felt that they did not understand the nature of the business.  He writes in his autobiography:



"These two printers I found poorly qualified for their business. Bradford had not been bred to it, and was very illiterate; and Keimer, tho' something of a scholar, was a mere compositor, knowing nothing of presswork." (Franklin)  



For greater detail on Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia, read chapter three of his autobiography at the link below.




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