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Franklin Makes a Name for Himself as a Printer

Clip: Episode 1 | 3m 53sVideo has Closed Captions

Franklin’s first published essays were printed under a pseudonym—Silence Dogood.

Franklin, who had only two years of formal education, largely taught himself through reading and on the job. At age 12, he joined his older brother James’s print shop as an apprentice printer. Later, when an essay appeared in James’s newspaper over the name Silence Dogood, no one, including James, knew the real author was 16-year-old Benjamin.

04/04/2022

FromKen Burns

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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by David M. Rubenstein. Major funding was...

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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by David M. Rubenstein. Major funding was...

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