![California Standard 5.4.6 Describe the introduction of slavery into America, the responses of slave families to their condition, the ongoing struggle between proponents and opponents of slavery, and the gradual institutionalization of slavery [MORE]](../../assets/standards/546.gif)
As a teenager, Benjamin Franklin ran away from home. He ended up in Philadelphia without any money. Franklin quickly found a job and worked hard. His fortunes soon improved.
 While still a young man, Franklin opened his own printing shop. He wanted people to develop good habits. To help them, he started a magazine called Poor Richard's Almanac. The magazine had proverbs. Proverbs are simple sayings that express a wise idea.
Franklin was always busy at some project. Most of his projects improved people's lives. He invented bifocal glasses and the lightning rod. He also helped the colonies as a leader of the American Revolution. He was the only Founding Father to sign all three documents that freed the colonies from British rule. By signing the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution, Franklin helped the colonies become an independent nation.
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