

Goddard.” That same year, in 1775, she was appointed postmaster of Baltimore. When he moved on to other business ventures, Mary Katherine stuck with it and started publishing the Maryland Journal as “M.K. Her younger brother started the Providence Gazette, Pennsylvania Chronicle, Maryland Journal and the Baltimore Advertiser. Publishing was the Goddard family business. Mary Katherine Goddard was the printer and postmaster to the Second Continental Congress in Baltimore, and she may have been the first female postmaster in colonial America, according to the Smithsonian. But the woman whose name also appears on the document, or at least on one version of it, is not as well known.Īt the bottom of the first copy of the Declaration of Independence that was specifically intended to be housed in archives, which was printed on January of 1777, this text appears: “Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katherine Goddard.” In 1775, he was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress which was the organ responsible for governing America.More than two centuries after July 4, 1776, the men who signed the Declaration of Independence - especially John Hancock - are famous. He objected the Stamp Act and other oppressive regulations imposed by the British. He was voted to the Pennsylvania assembly in 1751 where he advocated for rights of those colonized. Though the proposal was not adopted, it laid the foundation for the Articles of Confederation which was ratified later. There, he proposed that the colonies need to be united as a congress. In 1754, Franklin attended a meeting of representatives of colonies in Albany, New York. In the field of sea voyage, he studied the ocean currents and identified the Gulf Stream which shortened the voyage. His other contributions were in meteorology, refrigeration process, musical instrument, and energy-saving stove. His findings made the colonial British economists adjust policies. The concept of lightning rod was invented and used to secure buildings from fire by lightning.įranklin studied demography. Through his experiments, he proved that sparks of electricity can be found in the clouds. In 1750, Franklin flew a kite in a storm to demonstrate that lightning is electricity. He invented the conservation of charge principle and in 1748 made the first double plate capacitor which led to the modern battery. In 1746, Franklin began exploring the concept of static electricity leading to his invention of the negative and positive poles. In 1927, Franklin mobilized other tradesmen to form a group known as Junto which formed the first large library in Philadelphia.įranklin’s Inventions and Scientific Inquiriesįranklin was an inquisitive person who made major scientific inventions. At the age of 17, he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he got a printing job.

At 12 years, he joined his brother James as a printing apprentice. He grew up in Milk Street where he joined the Boston Latin School. He was the son of Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. Early Life and Careerįranklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. As one of the Founding Fathers, Franklin was a key figure in the drafting and signing of the declaration of independence. Who Is Benjamin Franklin?īenjamin Franklin was a famous polymath who was involved in the struggle for independence and an advocate of colonial unity. The oldest person to sign the declaration was Benjamin Franklin at the age of 70. 56 delegates from the 13 former British colonies signed the declaration.

The Declaration of Independence led to the formation of the United States of America thereby proclaiming an end to colonization by Great Britain. The event took place at Pennsylvania State House. There has been a debate on the date with some historians stating that the signing and approval took place on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence was signed in the United States on August 2, 1776.
